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CALIFORNIA   STATE   SERIES 


ENGLISH    LESSONS 

BOOK   ONE 


BY 
ADA  VAN   STONE  HARRIS 

ASSISTANT   SUPEKINTENDENT    KINDERGARTENS    AND    PRIMARY   SCUOOL8, 

RICHMOND,    VIRGINIA  ;    FOEMERLY   ASSISTANT  StTPEKINTEXDENT 

OF   SCHOOLS,    ROCHESTER,    NEW    YORK 

AND 

CHARLES    B.    GILBERT 

FORMERLY    LECTURER    ON    EDUCATION,    WESTERN    RESERVE    UNIVERSITY,    SUPERIN- 
TENDENT   OF     SCHOOLS,    ST.    PAUL,    NEWARK,    AND     ROCHKSTER  ;     AUTHOR    OF 
"STEPPING  STONES  TO  LITERATURE  "  ;   "THE  SCHOOL  A>  D  ITS  LIFE,"'  ETC. 

REVISED    BY 

JOSEPHINE   E.    SEAMAN 

STATE   NORMAL   SCHOOL,   LOS   ANGELES,    CAL. 
AND 

CORNELIUS   B.    BRADLEY 

UNIVER!-ITY    OF   CALIFORNIA,    BERKELEY,    CAL. 


SACRAMENTO 
Friend  Wm.  Richardson,  Superintendent  State  Printing 


Copyright,  1906,  1907,  1908,  1910,  1912, 
By  silver,   BUKDETT  AND  COMPANY 

Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London,  England 


All  rights  reserved 

EDUCATION  DEPT< 


In  the  compilation  of  this  hook,  certain  matter 
from  Guide  Books  to  English,  Book  One,  has 
been  used.      All  such  matter  is  protected  by 
the  copyright  entries  noted  above. 
First  Edition  25,000  October,  1912 


PREFACE 

The  aim  of  instruction  of  young  children  in  language 
should  be  to  secure  fluent  and  accurate  expression  of  thought 
both  oral  and  written.     Its  steps  are  three : 

1.  Arousing  thought  and  the  desire  to  express  it,  by  giv- 
ing an  abundance  of  interesting  iftatter  to  think  and  talk 
and  write  about. 

2.  Encouraging  the  children  to  express  their  thoughts 
freely,  both  orally  and  in  writing. 

3.  Giving  them  a  working  knowledge  of  the  principles  of 
correct  expression. 

•  The  first  of  these  steps  requires  an  abundance  of  "  food 
for  thought."  This  must  be  good  food,  natural  food,  appe- 
tizing food.  Its  natural  sources  are  the  whole  of  the  chil- 
dren's environment,  material  and  spiritual,  —  the  world  of 
nature  about  them  ;  the  world  of  the  imagination,  especially 
as  manifested  in  literature  and  the  other  arts ;  the  world  of 
men  and  women  of  the  present  and  the  past ;  the  games  and 
common  activities  of  their  own  daily  lives,  and,  in  particu- 
lar, life  in  tlie  school.  The  studies  of  the  school  curricu- 
lum furnish  the  best  and  the  most  available  material  for 
language  instruction.  With  this  bountiful  supply  ready 
at  hand,  teachers  and  textbooks  waste  time  and  scatter  in- 
terest by  going  continually  afield  and  bringing  in  unrelated 
material  to  serve  as  "  language  lessons." 

The  second  step  follows  naturally.  If  thought  has  been 
roused  through  interest,  the  desire  to  express  it  is  sure  to 
follow.  This  desire  should  be  encouraged  to  the  fullest  ex- 
tent.    In  the  earlier  stages,  freedom  and  fluency  should  be 

iii 


iv  PREFACE 

cultivated  continually,  and  little  check  should  be  placed 
upon  the  flow  of  expression. 

If  interest  is  keen,  thought  active,  and  expression  un- 
trammeled  by  fear  of  correction,  the  necessary  instruction 
in  principles  follows  easily  and  naturally,  and  is  effective. 

Without  these  essentials,  all  attempts  to  teach  "lan- 
guage" are  efforts  to  make  bricks  without  straw,  and  are 
formal  and  barren.  The  children's  minds  are  burdened 
with  many  verbal  statements  of  rules  and  definitions,  but 
the  language  they  use  goes  on  in  the  same  old  ways  of  meager 
vocabulary,  inaccuracy,  and  error. 

Much  oral  expression  should  always  precede  written 
work;  indeed,  in  the  earlier  years  it  should  receive  the 
major  share  of  attention  and  time,  inasmuch  as  we  talk 
much  more  than  we  write,  and  commonly  much  more  in- 
accurately. 

Children  learn  to  use  good  English,  first,  through  hearing 
and  reading  good  English,  and,  second,  through  using  it. 

The  sources  of  their  first  knowledge  of  correct  form  are 
the  correct  speech  of  their  teachers  and  others  with  whom 
they  converse,  and  the  good  literature  that  they  read.  In 
the  language  lesson  literature  is  necessarily  the  chief  reli- 
ance. Much  reading  prepares  the  children's  minds  for  the 
study  of  form.  This  study  at  first  should  consist  in  ob- 
serving definitely  the  correct  forms  used,  and  afterward  in 
a  statement  of  the  principles  discovered. 

The  forms  thus  learned  become  the  children's  own  for 
habitual  use  through  much  practice.  This  practice  should 
include  the  reproduction  of  good  models,  retelling  and  re- 
writing stories  and  descriptions  while  they  are  fresh  in 
mind  from  reading.  It  should  include  also  an  infinite 
amount  of  free  but  correct  expression  by  the  children  of 
their  own  thoughts,  both  orally  and  in  writing.  Much  and 
varied  observation  and  much  and  varied  expression  are  the 
two  essentials  of  the  formation  of  correct  habits  of  speech. 


PREFACE  V 

Young  children,  in  studying  the  elements  of  language, 
whether  words  or  combinations  of  words,  should  study 
functions  only. 

The  functions  of  words,  what  they  do  in  expressing  thought, 
should  first  be  carefully  studied  in  literature,  and  the  knowl- 
edge thus  gained  should  be  constantly  utilized  in  practice. 
This  will  enrich  reading  and  enlarge  the  vocabulary  of  the 
reader. 

The  "  grammar  "  in  this  book  is  purely  functional.  No 
attempt  is  made,  for  instance,  to  define  a  sentence,  because 
a  comprehensible  definition. that  is  true  is  impossible  at  this 
stage  of  development.  But  the  functions  of  sentences,  what 
they  do,  may  be  taught,  and  should  be  known  by  those  who 
use  them. 

The  principles  above  outlined  the  authors  have  endeav- 
ored to  follow  in  the  preparation  of  this  book,  as  is  shown 
in  the  followincr  Twelve  Features: 


'& 


Method 

1.  The  study  of  the  principles  of  language  expression  is 
wholly  inductive,  based  upon  use  in  literature  and  in  practi- 
cal affairs.     Hence  — 

2.  Material  for  thought  and  expression  receives  first  em- 
phasis. 

3.  This  material  is  abundant,  is  varied,  and  is  organized 
so  as  to  produce  definite  results. 

Sources  of  Material 

4.  Good  literature  is  constantly  used  for  study  as  litera^ 
ture,  and  as  the  source  of  the  principles  taught. 

5.  Choice  pictures  are  utilized  both  for  arousing  thought 
and  for  cultivating  taste. 

6.  The  school  course  of  study  is  much  used  in  the  lessons, 
suggesting  to  teachers  the  most  convenient  and  natural 
source  of  language  material. 


vi  PREFACE 

7.  Connected  series  of  lessons  from  history,  geography,  and 
nature  study  develop  continuous  and  logical  thinking  and 
variety  in  expression. 

8.  The  correlation  of  different  subjects,  such  as  history, 
nature,  and  literature,  with  language  as  a  center,  shows 
how  time  may  be  saved  with  a  rich  curriculum  and  children 
trained  to  think  relations. 

9.  The  expressive  activities  suggested  in  many  of  the  les- 
sons are  one  of  the  very  best  means  known  for  rousing  in- 
terest and  clarifying  thought.  They  recognize  the  value  of 
taotor  activity  in  stimulating  brain  activity,  a  thing  now 
universally  acknowledged.  They  make  clear  impressions, 
and  clear  impression  is  essential  to  clear  expression. 

The  constructing  of  things  has  opened  to  many  children 
wdiole  territories  of  knowledge  and  comprehension  before 
unknown.  This  is  especially  noticeable  in  children  of  for- 
eign parentage,  who  naturally  are  deficient  in  English  vo- 
cabulary. To  them,  indeed,  the  thing  made  is  often  the 
one  key  that  unlocks  the  door  of  expression. 

These  exercises  are  not  play.  They  are  not  merely  "  man- 
ual training."  They  are  interesting  means  for  developing 
efficient  thinking  and  adequate  language  power.  The  ex- 
ercises here  given  have  all  been  successfully  used  in  the 
classroom. 

Form  of  Expression 

10.  Letter  ivriting  is  given  unusually  full  treatment.  This 
is  the  most  generally  used  form  of  written  expression  ;  for 
many  it  is  the  only  form. 

11.  The  mechanics  of  literary  expression,  such  as  punctu- 
ation, capitalization,  and  paragraphing,  are  treated  system- 
atically and  simply. 

12.  Oral  expression  receives  unusual  emphasis,  because 
people  talk  vastly  more  than  they  write,  and  correct  speech 
is -the  universally  recognized  proof  of  a  cultivated  mind. 


PREFACE  vii 

The  grading  of  material  to  suit  all  conditions  is,  of  course, 
impossible.  Teachers,  however,  who  find  any  particular 
literary  selection  better  adapted  to  some  other  place  in  the 
schedule  than  that  indicated  in  the  book,  will  find  an  inter- 
change of  matter  not  difficult. 

The  copyrighted  material  in  this  book  is  used  by  permis- 
sion of  and  b}^  arrangement  with  Little,  Brown  &  Company, 
Houghton  Mifflin  Company,  D.  Appleton  &  Compan}^, 
The  Outlook  Company,  The  Youtlis  Companion,  Miss  Alice 
McCloskey,  Miss  Louise  Klein  Miller,  and  the  officers  of 
the  School  Improvement  Association  of  School  No.  9, 
Rochester,  New  York,  —  to  all  of  whom  both  the  authors 
and  the  publishers  express  their  cordial  appreciation  and 
thanks. 

The  authors  and  publishers  are  also  indebted  to  Miss 
Josephine  E.  Seaman,  instructor  in  English  in  the  State 
Normal  School,  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  for  valuable  assistance  in 
the  revision  of  the  series,  and  to  Professor  Cornelius  B. 
Bradley,  of  the  State  University  of  California,  for  his  criti- 
cal readin.i^  of  the  text. 


DIVISION   OF   BOOK   ONE  BY  YEARS 

Graduation  is  a  matter  that  rests  with,  the  country  and 
city  boards  of  education.  The  authors'  ideas,  however,  as 
set  forth  below,  will  be  of  general  interest. 

1.  For  graded  schools  in  which  the  language  book  is 
introduced  in  the  third  year : 

Third  Grade,  Chapters  I-XLIX. 
Fourth  Grade,  Chapters  L-XCV. 
Fifth  Grade,  Chapters  XCVI  to  end. 

2.  For  graded  schools  in  which  the  book  is  introduced 
in  the  fourth  year  : 

Fourth  Grade,  Chapters  I-LXIII. 
Fifth  Grade,  Chapters  LXIV  to  end. 

In  the  former  arrangement,  the  seasons  of  the  year  are 
followed  quite  closely. 

Under  either  arrangement  the  technical  lessons  have  been 
so  placed  that  chapters  especially  adapted  to  a  particular 
season,  such  as  Thanksgiving,  may  be  used  at  the  appro- 
priate time  without  disturbing  the  continuity  of  treatment. 


viu 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER                  Subject  Matter  Form  of  Exercise  page 
I.     Picture  :    A   School  in   Ger- 
many       Conversation         .         ,        3 

II.     The    City     Mouse     and    the 

Country  Mouse    .         .         .     Conversation ;      Eat  — 

ate  —  eaten  ;      Good 
usage         ...        4 

III.  The    Straw,    the    Coal    and 

THE  Bean      ....     Oral  Reproduction       .        6 

IV.  Picture  :    Two  Mothers   and 

their  Families     .         .         .     Conversation  ;         Oral 

exercise     ...         8 
V.     Proverbs  and  Sayings   .         .     The  Sentence ;  Capital 

and  Period         .        .       10 
VI.     Poem  ;      Guess  ;     The     Milk- 
weed Pod     ....     Making  Sentences  ;  See 

—  saw  —  seen;  Good 
usage         .         .     ■    .       11 
VII.     Hopscotch        ....     Capital     and     Period ; 

Notebook  ...       16 
VIII,     The  Carpenter 


Do  —  did  —  done  ; 
Good  usage        .         .       18 
IX.     A    Flower    and    its    Story  ; 
The        Sunflower  ;        The 

Story   of   Clytie        .         .     Capitals  beginning  Sen- 
tences ;  Conversation      20 
X.     Picture  :  The  New  Whip       .     Sentences    that    make 

Statements ;    the  Pe- 
riod ....       23 
XI.     Guessing  Game         .        .        .     Arranging  Sentences    .       25 
XII.     The  Clucking  Hen  .         .     Names  that  mean   one 

and  names  that  mean 
more  than  one  .      26 


ix 


X  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PUBJEOT   MaTTER  FoRM   OF  EXERCISE  PAGE 

XIII.  Thk    Hare   and  the  Tor- 

toise      ....     Quotation  Marks  ;  Run 

—  ran  ;  Good  usage  .       29 

XIV.  The  Circus;  The  Parade     Sentences;        Teach  — 

taught  ;  Good  usage  ; 
Review      .        .        .32 

XV.     Who    Stole    the     Bird's 

Nest  ?  .  .  .  .  Study  of  Poem  ;  Quota- 
tion ;  Rhymes  ;  Stole 

—  stolen  ;•     Gave  — 
given  ;  Good  usage  .       36 

XVI.     Guessing  Game.         .        .     Words  to  use  after  "  It 

is"    .        .         .         .40 

XVII.  The  Frog  and  the  Ox  .  Reproduction ;  Sen- 
tences that  ask 
Questions ;  Question 
Marks  ;  Burst ;  Good 
usage         ...      41 

XVIII.     Poem   and    Picture  :    The 

Gamrols  of  Children  .  Names;  Capitals;  Is — 
are  ;  was  —  were  ; 
Good  usage       .         .       45 

XIX.     A  Guessing  Game      .         .     Review ;  You  are — you 

were  ;  Good  usage     .       49 

XX.     The  Apple  Orchard         .     Grouping      Sentences ; 

Telling  a  Story         .       51 

XXI.     The  Robin's  Nest      .         .     Reproduction ;  Come  — 

came  ;  Good  usage    .      53 

XXII.  The  Princess  and  the  Pea  The  Paragraph  ;  Mak- 
ing Definitions  ;  In- 
dentation ...      56 

XXIII.  How  TO  Show  Ow^nership     The     Possessive     Pro- 

noun ;  The  Apostro- 
phe   ....      59 

XXIV.  Proper  Names   .        .  Initials;  Dates     .        .      69 


CONTENTS 


XI 


CHAPTER 

XXV. 


SuB.JECT  Matter 
A  Letter  by  Lewis  Car- 


XXVI. 
XXVIL 


Some  Things  seen  in  the 
City  Streets 

Corn 


XXVIII.     Thanksgiving     . 
XXIX.     Nero    .        .         .        . 
XXX.     Pictures  in  Verse    . 


XXXI.     Christmas  ;     Old    Christ- 
mas ;  .To  a  Fir  Tree     . 


Form  of  Exercise  page 

Study  of  Letter  ;  Head- 
ing ;  Salutation  and 
Closing  ;  Write  — 
wrote  :  Good  usage  .       61 


Review  of  Paragraphs  .       65 

Review  of  Sentence  and 
Paragraph  ;  Coopera- 
tive Story  ;  There  is 
■ — There  are  —  There 
was  —  There  were  ; 
Good  usage       .        .       67 

Study  of  Poem  ;  Letter- 
writing        .         .         .71 

Sentences     that    Com- 
mand .        .        .         .72 

Capitals  in  Writing 
Poetry  ;  God  and  the 
Bible;  /and  0  .       73 


Study  of  a  Poem  ;  Let- 
ters of  Invitation ; 
Capitals  ;  Sit  —  set ; 
Good  nsas:e       .         ,       75 


XXXII. 

Sentences  that  Exclaim  . 

Capitals  and  Exclama- 
tion Marks 

XXXIII. 

New  Year's  Day  ;  A  New 
Year   Song  ;    The   New 

Year       .... 

Writing  Dates;  Go  — 
went  —  gone;  Good 
usage 

XXXIV. 

Seasons,    Days,.    Months  ; 

Marjorie's  Almanac    . 

Abbreviations ;  Capi- 
tals   .... 

80 


81 


84 


xii 

CONTENTS 

CnAPTER 

Subject  Matter 

Form  of  Exercise 

XXXV. 

The  Shepherd  Boy  and 

THE  Wolf    . 

Reproduction;  Writing 
a     Story  ;     Review ; 

- 

Good  usage 

XXXVI. 

Picture:     Tolling    the 

Bell     .... 

Conversation 

XXXVII. 

Review     .... 

XXXVIII. 

Saint  Valentine    . 

Oral   and  Written  Re- 
production 

XXXIX. 

Valentine's  Day    . 

Review  ;  Writing 
Names 

XL. 

History  and  Geography; 
Henry    Hudson  ;    The 
Half-Moon;  The  Voy- 

age   

General  Review ;  Mak- 
ing Paragraphs 

XLI. 

Winds  ;        The        Four 

Winds:   The  Wind      . 

Arranging  Paragraphs ; 

XLII.  Rainbow  Colors  ;  Guess 
What  I  Am  ;  Recipe 
FOR  Soap  Bubbles; 
The  Bubbles  ;  The 
Rainbow 

XLIII.  Spring  ;  Springtime  ; 
The  Awakening  ;  The 
Planting 


XLIV.  Trees  ;  An  Arbor-dat 
Tree  ;  What  do  we 
Plant? 


88 


90 


92 


94 


95 


Memorizing ;  Blow  — 
blew  —  blown;  Good 
usage         ...      97 


Review   of   Sentences ; 
Memorizing       .        .     102 


Personification ;  Sen- 
tences and  Para- 
graphs; Plurals         .     104 


Writing  a  Story  ;  Study 
of  a  Poem 


108 


CONTENTS 


Xlll 


CHAPTER 

XLV. 


XLVI. 


Subject  Matter 
Letters.       Letter     from 
General  Lee . 

The  Flag  ;  How  the  Flag 
WAS  Made 


Form  of  ExEBnsE 

Headings ;    Salutations 
and  Endings 

Reproduction  ;  Writing 


LVIII.     a  Streak  of  Sunshine 


LIX,     "I  Shine,"  says  the  Sun 
LX.     Robert  of  Lincoln   . 


110 


*      a  Letter     . 

113 

XLVII. 

The  Robin;  I'll  Try 

• 

Description  ;  Review  of 
Punctuation 

115 

XLVIII. 

A  Game 

• 

Some     Common     Con- 
tractions   . 

117 

XLIX. 

General  Revikw 

. 



118 

L. 

The  Arab  and  his  Camel 

The  Hyphen 

120 

LI. 

Word    Study  :     Grasshop- 

pers and  Crickets  ; 

The 

^ 

Cricket   . 

• 

Report    of    an    i;xcur- 
sion  ;  Memorizing     . 

121 

LIT. 

Nouns  .... 

. 

Plurals  in  s  . 

123 

LIII. 

The  Fox  and  the  Cat 

' 

Plurals    in   es  ;    Titles ; 
Abbreviations   . 

124 

LIV. 

Fables 

• 

Plurals   in   y;   Writing 
Fables ;   Good  usage 

127 

LV. 

Seeds  ;      Collection 

and 

Observation  ;  Distribu- 

tion ;  Examination 

Writing    Descriptions  ; 
Writing  a  Story 

130 

LVL 

Three  Bugs 

Writing  a  Story;  Blow 

—  blew  —  blown  ; 

.     Grow  —  grew  — 

grown  ;  Good  usage  . 

132 

LVII. 

Picture  :     A    Shower 
THE  Drawing-room 

IN 

Writing       a       Story ; 
Ought ;  Good  usage  . 

136 

The      Comma  ;       with 
name    of    person    or 
thing  addressed        .     137 
Comma  with  Quotation     140 
Conversation        .         .     141 


V 

CONTENTS 

IH  AFTER 

Subject  Mattbe 

Form  of  Exercise 

PAOB 

LXI. 

John  Smith 

.  Come  —  came  —  has 
come  ;  'I'hrow  — 
threw  —  lias  or  have 
thrown  ;  Grow  — 
grew  —  has    or  have 

' 

grown  ;  Know  — 
knew  —  has  or  have 

- 

known  ;  Blow  — 
blew  —  has    or   have 

blown  ;  Good  usage  . 

145 

LXII. 

Beowulf    . 

.    General  Review    . 

148 

LXIII. 

Lie,  Lay,  Lain 

.     Review  ;  Good  usage    . 

160 

LXIV. 


LXV. 

LXVI. 

LXVIL 


Lxvm. 

LXIX. 
LXX. 


LXXI. 
LXXIL 

LXXIIL 


Letter  from  Sir  Walter 
Scott      .... 


OcEANus  Hopkins 
"Down  to  Sleep  " 
Thanksgiving       Lessons 
The  Pilgrims 


The  Newsboy 
James  Watt 


Picture  : 
Friend 


The        Sick 


Stories  of  Birds 

The      Little     Christmas 
Tree       .... 


A    Diary  ;     Anna    Wins- 
low's  Diary 


Writing  Letters ;  Writ- 
ing Titles  of  Books ; 
Addressing        Enve-    ■ 
lopes  .         .        .162 

Reproduction        .         .     166 
Word  Study         .        .     167 

Review ;  Making  an 
Outline      .        .         .169 

Writing  a  Stoiy  ;  Capi- 
tals and  Headings     .     170 

Reproduction        .         .172 

Writing  a  Story  ;  Bring 
—brought — brought ; 
Good  usage        .         .     175 

Reproduction  ;  Writing 
Stories       .        .        .178 


Prose  and  Poetry;  Study 
of  Words  ;  Catch  — 
caught ;  Good  usage 


Conversation 
a  Diary     . 


Keeping 


180 


185 


CONTENTS 

XV 

CHAPTKR 

Subject  Matter 

Form  of  Exercise 

PAGE 

LXXIV. 

The  Home  of  the  Vicar 

OF  Wakefield  . 

Study     of    Literature ; 

• 

Choice  of  Words 

188 

LXXV. 

Things    to    Talk    and 

White  About    . 



189 

LXXVI. 

Washington  . 

Quotations ;       Writing 
Yes    and   No ;    How 

to  show  Possession    . 

190 

LXXVII. 

Picture  :  Angling 

Nouns  and  Words  that 

Describe    . 

192 

LXXVIII. 

Hyacinthus  . 

Word  Study  ;  Review  . 

192 

LXXIX. 

Christopher    Ludwick 

Review  of  Capitals 

195 

LXXX. 

Recipe       for       Candy 

Fudge 

Writing  Recipes  . 

197 

Lxxxr. 

Newspaper  Advertise- 

ments 

Writing         Acjvertise- 

ments  and  Answers  . 

198 

LXXXII. 

A  Soldier  becomes  the 

Soldier 

Tlie  Article;    Is— are 

—  was  — were  . 

199 

LXXXIIL 

Homes 

Review  of  Paragraphs  ; 
Writing   a  Composi- 

tion .... 

202 

LXXXIV. 

Spring  Games 

Possessive  Plural . 

206 

LXXXV. 

Letters 

Writing  Formal  Letters 

207 

LXXXVI. 

The  Gladness  of  Nature 

Pictures  in  Words;  Re- 
view of  Singular  and 

Plural 

209 

LXXXVII. 

Review  .         . 

Good  usage  . 

211 

LXXXVIII. 

Ceres     .... 

Choice  of  Words  . 

213 

LXXXIX. 

How    Ceres    lost    her 

Little  Girl 

Words   expressing   Ac- 

tion ;  Dramatization 

215 

XC. 

The  Parts   of  a    Sen- 

tence 

Words  that  Tell    . 

217 

XCI. 

A  Day's  History 

^Vord  Study 

218 

XCII. 

Picture  :  On  the  Beach 

Writing  a  Story    . 

218 

XVI 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

XCIII. 

Subject  Matter 
Trades  ix  Birdland: 

The 

Form  of  Exercise 

PAGE 

Woodpecker  —  the 

Car- 

' 

PENTER ;    The    Swallow 

• 

—  THE  Mason  ;  The 
OLE  —  THE  Weaver 

Ori- 

Weave,   Hang,   Swing; 
Good  usage ;  General 
Review 

220 

XCIV. 

The  St.  Bernard 

Writing  Stories     . 

223 

xcv. 

Test  Review 

Capitals,  Commas,  Plu- 
rals, Possession,  Hy- 
phens, The  Article    . 

226 

XCVL 

Picture  :  Excitement 

. 

Writing  a  Story    . 

22(5 

XCVII. 

The  Merry  Locksmith      . 

Word    Study ;     Adjec- 
tives ;  Writing  a  De- 

scription ;     How    to 
use  a  Dictionary 

226 

XCVIII. 

To-day 

. 

Memorizing . 

231 

VIII. 

To-day         .... 

Memorizing . 

231 

:cix. 

The  Story  of  a  Loaf   of 

Bread      .... 

Writing  a  History 

232 

c. 

Contractions 

A    Temperance    Song ; 

the  Apostrophe 

236 

CI. 

A  Word  Picture 

Word    Study ;     Nouns 

and  Adjectives  . 

238 

CII. 

Another  Word  Picture  . 

Nouns  and  Adjectives  . 

240 

cm. 

What  is  a  Gentleman  ?    . 

Comma  in  Series;  Rule 

for  Comma 

242 

CIV. 

A  Gentleman      . 

Telling  Stories      . 

244 

cv. 

Review  of  Punctuation   . 

An     Allegory ;     Three 

Kind  of  Marks  . 

245 

cvi. 

Don't  Crowd 

Review     of      Contrac- 
tions ;       Writing      a 

Composition 

248 

CVII.     Review  of  Word  Marks  . 
CVIII.     Scrooge  and  his  Clerk   . 

CIX.     Psalm  23     ...         . 


Review  of  Punctuation  ; 

Verb 
Study  of  Literature ; 

Verb 


249 


250 


252 


CONTENTS 


XVll 


CHAPTER  Subject  Matter 

ex.  Landseer;  Picture:  A 
Member  of  the  Benev- 
olent  SOCIETY 


FoBM  OF  Exercise 


Reproduction  ; 
of  a  Picture 


Study 


CXI.  Pronouns 

CXII.  The  Sentence 

CXIII.  Mining  ;  The  Miner 

CXIV.  Coal  .         .         .         . 

CXV.  Word  Search  in  Readers 

CXVI.  Magellan 

CXVII.  Studies  from  Dickens    . 

CXVIII.  Business  Letters     . 

CXIX.  The  Past 

CXX.  Stories  to  Tell 

CXXI.  Both  Puzzled  :  Picture 

CXXII.  Electricity      . 


Subject    or   Predicate 

Writing   a   Description 

and  Letters 
Word  Study 
Pronouns  and  Verbs     . 
General  Review    . 
Indirect  Quotations 


Pine  Tree  Legend ; 
Benjamin  Franklin's 
Story 

Experiments  and  Rec- 
ords ;  Franklin ;  May, 
Can  ;  Good  usage 


CXXIII.     Debate     .         .         .         . 
CXXIV.     Moving  Day     . 
CXXV.     The  Larch  and  the  Oak 

CXXVI.     Gluck's  Search  for  the 
Golden  River 


Divided       Quotations ; 
.  Word  Study      . 


254 
267 
259 

261 
202 
264 
266 
269 
273 
276 

280 

282 

282 
287 
287 

288 


CXXVII.     Croquet   .... 

CXX VIII.     God's  Miracle  of  May  . 

CXXIX.     The  School  Garden 

CXXX.     Letters    of    Invitation 
AND  Replies 

CXXXI.     The  Crow 

2— one 


Use  of  the  Dictionary  ; 

Good  usage        .        .  289 

292 

Pictures  in  Words        .  293 

295 


Adverbs 


299 
302 


xviii  CONTENTS 

rii AFTER  Subject  Matteb  Form  op  Exebcisk  paob 

CXXXII.     Woodman,  spare   that 

Tree  ....  Quotations  within  Quo- 
tations ;  Adverbs ; 
Prepositions      .         .     304 

CXXXIII.     Prepositions  .        .     In,       into,       between, 

among,  to,  at  .        .    308 

CXXXIV.     Review.         .         .         .     Conjunctions        .        .     310 

CXXXV.     The  Story  of  a  Spool 

OF  Thread 312 

CXXXVI.     The  Honeybee      .        .     Study  of  a  Poem  .         .     314 

CXXXVII.     The  Fireman 316 

CXXXVIII.     Review.         .        .        .     Sentences     .         .        .319 

Notes  to  Teachers     .    , 323 

A  Brief  List  of  Books 326 


ENGLISH  LESSONS 

BOOK  ONE 


J_ 

^ 

B           -^ 

^ 

/ 

'n  '^m 

1 

'■■ 

4'  ▼^^  ^--  -■^^t  -< 

F 

^^^m^Ki^ii^ 

1 

t 

^^HM^ 

ENGLISH  LESSONS 

BOOK   ONE 


A  SCHOOL   IN   GERMANY 
A  Picture  Lesson 
Conversation  : 

Look  at  the  picture. 

Talk   about  this  picture  with  your  teacher  in 
class. 

Tell  all  the  different  things  you  can  see  in  it. 

How  many  children  are  there  ? 

How  old  do  you  think  the  tallest  one  is  ? 

Which  do  you  think  is  the  youngest  ? 

How  old  do  you  think  she  is  ? 

What  do  you  see  in  the  picture  that  you  do  not 
have  in  your  schoolroom  ? 

What  do  you  have  in  your  schoolroom  that  you 
cannot  find  in  the  picture  ? 

What  is  the  tall  girl  doing  ? 

What  is  the  little  girl  on  her  knees  doing  ? 

Tell  what  each  of  the  others  is  doing. 

Give  names  to  the  children. 

3 


4  ENGLISH  LESSONS 

Do  yon  always  sit  as  straight  as  the  little  girl 
on  the  bench  ? 

Should  you  like  to  go  to  such  a  school  ?     Why  ? 

II 

1 

THE  CITY  MOUSE   AND   THE   COUNTRY  MOUSE 

The  city  mouse  lives  in  a  house  ; 
The  garden  mouse  lives  in  a  bower. 
He's  friendly  with  the  frogs  and  toads, 
And  sees  the  pretty  plants  in  flower. 

The  city  mouse  eats  bread  and  cheese ; 
The  garden  mouse  eats  what  he  can ; 
We  will  not  grudge  him  seed  and  stocks, 
Poor  little  timid,  furry  man. 

Christina  G.  Rossetti. 

Read  the  poem  and  then  talk  about  it  in  class. 
Which  mouse  has  more  friends  ? 
Which  has  better  things  to  eat  ? 
Which  would  you  rather  be  ?     Why  ? 

2 
Eat  —  Ate  —  Eaten, 
Good  Usage : 

In  the  line,  "  The  city  mouse  eats  bread  and 
cheese,"  what  word  tells  what  the  city  mouse  does  ? 

To  tell  what  the  mouse  did  last  night,  we  should 
say,  "  The  mouse  ak  bread  and  cheese." 


BOOK  ONE  5 

How  have  we  changed  the  word  eat  to  make  it 
tell  what  the  mouse  did  last  night  ? 

If  we  say,  "  The  mouse  has  eaten  all  the  cheese/' 
we  use  two  words  to  tell  what  the  mouse  has 
done,  the  word  has,  and  the  word  eaten. 

To  tell  what  we  do  now,  we  say  eat. 

To  tell  what  we  did  yesterday  or  at  some 
other  time,  we  say  ate. 

After  has  or  have  we  say  eaten. 

Conversation : 

Make  complete  statements. 

I  ate  an  apple  yesterday.  Tell  the  class  some- 
thing that  you  ate  yesterday  or  at  breakfast  this 
morning. 

I  have  eaten  bananas.  Tell  something  that  you 
have  eaten. 

What  did  the  cat  eat  for  her  supper  ? 

What  did  the  dog  eat  ? 

What  ate  the  figs  on  the  tree  ? 

Have  the  birds  eaten  all  the  figs  ? 

Have  they  eaten  the  strawberries  in  the  gar- 
den? 

Tell  when  we  say  eat,  and  when  we  say  ate. 
After  what  words  do  we  say  eaten  f 

To  the  Teacher:  After  the  use  of  a  word  is  learned,  the  word 
should  be  frequently  reviewed  until  the  habit  of  using  it  correctly  is 
formed.  This  can  easily  be  done  by  brief  conversations  at  the  begin- 
jiing  of  recitations. 


ENGLISH   LESSONS 


III 


THE  STRAW,   THE   COAL,  AND  THE  BEAN 
To  the  Teacher :    See  note  A,  p.  323. 

Read  this  story  and  then  tell  it : 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  an  old  woman  who 
lived  in  a  village.  One  day  she  went  into  her  garden 
to  gather  some  beans  for  her  dinner. 

She  had  a  good  fire,  but  to  make  it  burn  more 
quickly,  she  threw  on  a  handful  of  straws. 

As  she  poured  the  beans  into  the  pot  to  boil,  one  of 
them  fell  on  the  floor  not  far  from  a  Straw  that  was 
lying  near. 

Suddenly  a  glowing  Coal  bounded  out  of  the  fire  and 
fell  close  to  them.  They  both  started  away,  and  each 
cried  out,  "  Dear  friend,  don't  (;ome  near  me  till  you 
are  cooler.     What  brings  you  out  here  ?  " 

"  Oh,"  replied  the  Coal,  *'  the  heat  made  me  so 
strong  that  I  was  able  to  leap  from  the  fire.  Had  I 
not  done  so,  my  death  would  have  been  certain  and  I 
should  have  been  burned  to  ashes  by  this  time." 

"  Then,"  said  the  Bean,  "  I  have  escaped  being 
scalded  to  death,  for  had  the  old  woman  put  me  into  the 
pot  with  my  comrades,  I  should  have  been  boiled  to 
broth." 

'^I  might  have  been  burned,"  said  the  Straw,  **  for 
all  my  brothers  were  pushed  into  the  fire  and .  smoke 
by  the  old  woman.  She  packed  sixty  of  us  in  a  bundle, 
but  I  slipped  through  her  fingers." 

"  Well,  now,  what  shall  we  do  with  ourselves  ? " 
asked  the  Coal. 


BOOK  ONE  7 

"  Why  not,"  answered  the  Bean,  "  travel  away  to- 
gether to  some  more  friendly  country  ?  " 

The  two  others  agreed  to  do  this,  so  they  started  on 
their  journey. 

After  traveling  a  little  distance,  they  came  to  a 
stream  over  which  there  was  no  bridge.  They  were 
puzzled  to  know  how  to  get  over  to  the  other  side. 

Then  the  Straw  said,  "  I  will  lay  myself  across  the 
stream,  so  that  you  two  can  walk  upon  me,  as  if  I  were 
a  bridge." 

So  the  Straw  stretched  himself  from  one  shore  to  the 
other.  The  Coal  tripped  out  quite  boldly  on  the  newly 
built  bridge.  But  when  he  reached  the  middle  of  the 
stream  and  heard  the  water  rushing  under  him,  he  was 
frightened.  He  stood  still  and  dared  not  move  a  step 
farther. 

Then  a  sad  thing  happened.  The  Straw  was 
scorched  in  the  middle  by  the  heat  in  the  Coal.  He 
broke  in  two  from  the  weight  of  the  Coal  and  fell 
into  the  brook.  The  Coal,  with  a  hiss,  slid  after  him 
into  the  water. 

The  Bean  had  stayed  behind  on  the  shore.  When 
she  saw  what  had  happened,  she  laughed  so  hard  that 
she  burst. 

Sho  would  have  been  worse  off  than  her  comrades 
had  not  a  tailor  come  along  to  rest  by  the  brook. 
He  noticed  the  Bean,  and  being  a  kind-hearted  man, 
he  took  a  needle  and  thread  out  of  his  pocket. 

Taking  up  the  Bean,  he  sewed  her  together.  She 
thanked  him  very  much. 

He  had  only  black  thread  with  which  to  sew  the 
Bean,  so  ever  since  that  time  some  beans  have  black 
marks  down  their  backs.     From  Grimms'  Fairy  Tales. 


8  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

In  telling  the  story,  be  sure  to  answer  these 
questions : 

1.  What  did  the  old  woman  do  ? 

2.  What  happened  to  one  of  the  beans  ? 

3.  How  did  the  Bean,  the  Straw,  and  the  Coal 
become  acquainted  ? 

4.  What  did  each  of  them  say  about  himself  ? 

5.  What  did  they  decide  to  do  ? 

6.  What  happened  to  the  Straw  ?  to  the  Coal  ? 
to  the  Bean  ? 

IV 

TWO   MOTHERS  AND   THEIR  FAMILIES 
Conversation : 

What  are  the  mother  and  th^  child  talking 
about?  ^ 

Who  is  feeding  the  mother  hen  and  her  chicks  ? 

What  do  you  think  the  httle  girl's  mother  is 
telling  her  ? 

Why  do  you  think  theiinother  hen  has  just 
called  her  chicks?  f 

Which  gets  most  of  the  food,  the  mother  hen  or 
the  chicks  ? 

What  do  you  think.  :ne  chicks  are  eating  ? 

Does  the  mother  hen  love  all  the  chicks  ? 

Does  she  know  that  two  of  them  are  not  eat- 
ing? 

Could  you  love  so  large  a  family  ? 


BOOK  ONE 


m  f 

TWO   MOTHERS  AND  THEIR   FAMILIES 


10  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Oral  Exercise  : 

Tell  a  story  about  what  you  think  the  mother 
and  the  child  are  saying  to  each  other. 


PROVERBS  AND  SAYINGS 

The  Sentence  —  Capital  and  Period 
Read : 

A  stitch  in  time  saves  nine. 

Time  and  tide  wait  for  no  man. 

It  is  a  long  road  that  has  no  turning. 

All  work  and  no  play  makes  Jack  a  dull  boy. 

All  is  not  gold  that  glitters. 

Many  hands  make  light  work. 

A  rolling  stone  gathers  no  moss. 

It  is  never  too  late  to  mend. 

Each  of  these  sayings  is  a  sentence. 

Each  sentence  tells  something. 
To  tell  something  is  to  make  a  statement. 
Talk  about  these  sayings  in  class. 
Tell  what  each  one  means. 
With  what  kind  of  letter  does  each  one  begin  ? 
What  mark  is  placed  at  the  end  of  each  ? 
Find  other  sentences  in  your  language  book  or 
reader. 

To  the  Teacher :  Do  not  attempt  to  frame  a  definition  of  a  sen- 
tence, but  discuss  the  children's  selections  with  them  and. make  sure 
that  only  sentences  are  chosen. 


BOOK  ONE  11 

VI 

1 

Guess 
Read : 

Cover  and  case,  close  locked  together, 
Filled  with  a  curious  kind  of  feather  ; 
Open  the  box  —  you'll  need  no  key  — 
Oh  !  pretty  green  case,  did  you  grow  for  me  ? 
'Twas  only  the  other  day  I  said, 
"  I  must  make  my  dolly  a  feather  bed  ;  " 
And  here  is  the  softest,  fluffiest  stuff, 
Silky  and  white  and  plenty  enough. 

What  is  it? 
Conversation  : 

What  do  the  first  two  lines  of  the  poem  describe  ? 

AY  hat  does  the  third  line  tell  yon  to  do  ? 

Which  line  asks  a  question  ? 

Who  is  talking  ? 

What  is  she  talking  to  when  she  asks  the 
question  ? 

What  did  the  little  girl  say  she  must  do  ? 

Which  two  lines  describe  what  she  was  going  to 
use? 

What  is  it  that  is  softest,  fluffiest,  silky,  and 
lohite  f 

Why  did  the  little  girl  think  the  seeds  would 
make  a  good  feather  bed  for  her  dolly  ? 

To  the  Teacher :  See  note  B,  page  323. 


12  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Expressive  Activities : 

Illustrate  by  free-hand  cutting  out  of  paper,  or 
by  painting  with  ink  or  water  colors,  the  following 
pictures : 

"The  cover  and  case,  close  locked  together." 
The  little  girl  opening  the  box. 
The  little  girl  filling  the  doll's  feather  bed. 
The  milkweed  plant  scattering  its  seeds. 
The  little  girl  making  her  dolly  a  bed. 


The  Milkweed  Pod 
Making  Sentences 

Dainty  milkweed  babies 

Wrapped  in  cradles  green. 

Rocked  by  Mother  Nature, 
Fed  by  hands  unseen. 

Conversation  and  Observation  : 

Have  you  seen  milkweed  growing  ?  When  ? 
Where  ? 

Visit  the  place,  if  possible,  and  bring  to  the 
schoolroom  two  or  three  plants. 

If  you  can,  get  plants  with  leaves,  flowers,  and 
pods. 

To  the  Teacher:  Where  milkweed  is  not  obtainable,  alter  the 
questions  in  (2),  making  them  such  as  can  be  answered  by  the  study 
of  pictures  or  through  information  given  by  the  teacher. 


BOOK  ONE 


13 


^r 


Break  the  stem  of  the  plant  which 
has  no  pod  and  compare  it  with  the 
broken  stem  of  one  with  pods.    Which 
has  little  or  no  ''  milk  "  ? 

Why  has  one  plant  used  more  milk  than  the  other  ? 

Watch  carefully  for  several  days  and  see  which 
plants  become  dry  first. 

Why  are  the  stems  and  leaves  of  the  plants  with 
pods  turning  yellow  and  brown  ? 

Hang  a  ripe  pod  in  the  schoolroom  for  two  or 
three  days  and  watch  it 
as  it  discharges  its  seeds. 

Where  did  the  pod 
open  first  ? 

What  makes  the  seeds 
come  out  of  the  pod  ? 

What  helps  to  carry 
them  away  ? 

Make  sentences  in 
answer  to  the  above 
questions. 

Head  and  tell : 

Little  Effie  had  never 
seen  a  milkweed  pod.  One 
day  her  big  cousin  Jack  "^"^  milkweed  plant 


14  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

gcive  her  one.  It  was  dry  and  yellow.  Effie  broke  it 
open  and  the  seeds  began  to  %  through  the  air.  *'  Oh," 
cried  Effie,  clapping  her  hands,  "  see  the  pretty  white 
wings!     I  think  these  must  be  plant  angels!  " 

3 

See  —  Saw  —  Seen 
Good  Usage : 

In  the  story  about  little  Effie,  fmd  the  words  had 
seen.  In  the  questions  on  "  The  Milkweed  Pod," 
find  have  seen. 

Read  these  sentences : 

Effie  saw  the  fluffy  seeds. 

"  T  see  pretty  white  wings,"  said  she. 

What  word  in  the  first  sentence  tells  what  Effie 
did? 

What  word  does  Effie  use  to  tell  what  she  is 
doing  ? 

As  I  look  out  of  the  window,  I  see  the  sky. 
Tell  me  what  I  did  when  I  looked  out  of  the  win- 
dow.    Tell  me  what  I  have  done. 

We  use  see  to  tell  what  we  are  doing  now. 
We  use  saw  to  tell  what  we  did  at  some  other 
time. 

We  use  seen  with  have,  has,  or  had. 

Conversation : 

Make  complete  statements. 

On  my  way  to  school  this  morning    I    saw  a 


BOOK  ONE  15 

flock  of  blackbirds.  Tell  something  that  you 
saw. 

T  have  seen  a  squirrel.  Tell  what  animals  you 
have  seen.     Let  each  tell  of  one. 

Tell  the  class  something  that  you  saw  in  vaca- 
tion or  on  Saturday. 

How  many  have  been  at  the  beach  ?  Tell  the 
others  something  that  you  have  seen  there. 

How  many  have  been  in  the  park  ?  Tell  what 
you  have  seen  there. 

How  many  ever  went  to  a  circus  ?  Tell  what 
you  saw  at  the  circus. 

Who  will  write  on  the  blackboard  the  word  that 
tells  what  we  do  now  with  our  eyes  ? 

Who  will  write  the  word  that  we  use  to  tell 
what  we  did  at  some  time  in  the  past  ? 

Who  will  write  the  word  that  we  use  after  have  f 

Written  Exercise: 

Write  a  sentence  telling  something  that  you  see 
now. 

Write  a  sentence  telling  what  you  saw  yesterday 
or  at  some  other  time. 

Write  a  sentence  telling  something  that  you 
have  seen. 

Read  your  sentences  to  the  class. 

To  the  Teacher:  Take  every  means  of  accustoming  the  ear  and 
the  tongue  of  the  child  to  the  right  word.  Good  written  English  will 
follow  as  a  matter  of  course. 


16  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

VII 

HOPSCOTCH 

Capital  and  Period 

Draw  on  paper  or  on  the  blackboard  a  diagram 
of  a  game  of  hopscotch. 

Write  in  the  diagram  what  each  space  is  called. 

Conversation : 

How  many  people  can  play  the  game  ? 
What  makes  a  good  player  ?     Who  wins  ? 
Is  an  umpire  necessary  ? 
Give  rules  for  playing  the  game. 

Expressive  Activities : 

Ilkistrate  on  the  sand-table  or  blackboard,  or 
with  brush  and  water  colors,  a  game  of  hopscotch, 
or  some  other  game  that  you  play. 

Written  Exercise  : 

Write  on  the  blackboard  sentences  giving  the 
rules  of  the  game. 

After  your  teacher  has  said  that  they  are  correct, 
copy  them  in  your  notebook. 

Write  a  description  of  another  game  that  you 
have  played. 

To  the  Teacher :  Any  other  game  that  the  children  play  may  be 
substituted. 


BOOK   ONE  17 

Write  a  sentence  in  answer  to  each  of  these 
questions  : 

With  what  kind  of  letter  do  you  begin  each 
sentence  ? 

What  mark  do  you  put  at  the  end  ? 

Oral  Exercise : 

Describe  a  game  that  you  have  played,  referring 
to  your  diagram. 

The  Notebook 

Each  member  of  the  class  should  have  a  note- 
book for  language  lessons  alone. 

Write  on  the  first  page  of  your  notebook  your 
full  name,  the  name  of  your  school,  of  the  town  or 
city  you  live  in,  the  day  of  the  week,  the  month, 
with  its  day,  and  the  year  on  which  you  begin  to 
use  it.  Choose  a  verse  and  write  it  on  the  title- 
page  as  a  motto. 

Here  is  the  title-page  of  a  student's  notebook  : 

Helen  Hill  Aldrich 

Longfellow  School,  Portland,  Maine 

Monday,  March  11,  1912 

When  Duty  whispers  low,  "  Thou  must," 
The  youth  replies,  "I  can." 

Emerson. 


18  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Vlll 

THE   CARPENTER 

Arranging  Sentences 

1 

Visit  a  carpenter's  shop,  if  you  can,  and  see  how- 
lie  does  his  work. 

Conversation : 

What  does  the  carpenter  do? 

Where  does  he  work  ? 

Name  as  many  as  you  can  of  the  tools  he  uses. 

What  has  the  carpenter  done  for  you  ? 

Name  all  the  things  you  can,  made  by  the  car- 
penter, that  we  could  not  get  along  without. 

If  there  were  no  carpenters,  what  should  we  have 
to  do  without  ? 

Which  is  more  useful,  the  carpenter  or  the  black- 
smith ?     Why  ? 

Which  would  you  rather  be  ?     Why  ? 

Tell  all  you  can  about  the  carpenter  and  his  work. 

If  you  have  ever  seen  a  carpenter  make  any- 
thing, tell  how  he  made  it. 

Tell  the  story  of  your  visit  to  the  carpenter's  shop. 

Written  Exercise : 

Make  sentences  about  the  carpenter  for  the 
teacher  to  write  on  the  blackboard.  Discuss  them. 
Arrange  them  in  the  best  order  and  copy  them. 


BOOK   ONE  19 

2 

Do  —  Bid  —  Bone 
Good  Usage  : 

Read  these  sentences  carefully : 

The  carpenters  do  their  work  well. 

The  carpenters  did  their  work  well. 

The  carpenters  have  done  their  work  well. 

You  see  that  these  sentences  are  nearly  alike. 
What  words  in  them  are  different  ? 

When  do  is  changed  to  did,  how  is  the  meaning 
of  the  sentence  changed  ? 

What  word  is  used  with  have  to  make  a  state- 
ment about  the  carpenters  ? 

When  we  use  but  one  word  to  tell  of  what  we 
have  already  done,  we  say  did. 

After  have  or  has  or  had  we  say  done. 

Conversation : 

Make  complete  statements  in  answering  these 
questions. 

How  many  have  done  their  work  ?  Let  each 
answer  for  himself. 

How  many  did  all  their  work  yesterday? 

Who  did  his  very  best  yesterday  ? 

Who  has  done  his  very  best  to-day  ? 

I  see  some  work  on  the  blackboard. 

Who  did  it  ? 

When  did  he  do  it  ? 

With  what  did  he  do  it  ? 


20  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Who  saw  him  do  it  ? 

Do  you  think  he  did  it  well  ? 

Exercise : 

Change    each    of    these  sentences,    first   using 

did  and  then   using  done.  What   word  will   you 

use   before    do7ie  f      Read  your  sentences   to   the 
class. 

I  do  my  work  every  day. 

All  the  children  do  their  work  well. 

We  do  our  very  best. 

The  horse  does  his  work  faithfully. 

"  Boys,  you  do  well,"  said  Mr.  Brown  to  his  sons. 

IX 

A  FLOWER   AND   ITS   STORY 
Capitals  beginning  Sentences 

1 

The  Sunflower 
Conversation  : 

Did  you  ever  see  a  sunflower?  Where?  De- 
scribe it. 

Paint  a  picture  of  it. 

If  you  can  find  one  growing,  watch  it  several 
times  during  a  bright,  sunny  day  and  see  in  what 
different  directions  the  flowers  face.  Can  you  tell 
why  they  face  in  different  directions  ? 


BOOK   ONE  21 

If  you  cannot  watch  a  flower  growing,  your 
teacher  will  tell  you  about  it. 

If  some  one  can  bring  a  blossom  with  its  stalk 
into  the  class,  you  can  study  it  and  paint  a  picture 
of  it ;  but  you  cannot  see  from  this  the  most  in- 
teresting thing  about  the  sunflower,  which  is  that 
it  turns  its  face  toward  the  sun. 


The  Story  of  Clytie 
\_To  be  read  to  the  children  hy  the  teacher."] 

Clytie  was  a  lovely  water  nymph.  She  was  tall  and 
slender,  with  soft  black  eyes  and  golden  hair.  She 
loved  the  glorious  sun  god  Apollo.  Day  after  day, 
from  morning  until  evening,  she  would  stand  upon  the 
shore  of  a  beautiful  lake  and  gaze  upon  the  face  of  the 
god  as  he  rode  through  the  heavens  in  his  shining 
golden  chariot,  turning  her  face  slowly  as  he  passed 
from  east  to  west. 

Apollo  loved  the  gentle  Clytie  and  used  to  look 
down  upon  her  and  warm  her  heart  with  his  smile,  but 
he  could  not  come  to  her,  for  he  must  guide  his  fierce 
horses  through  the  sky. 

At  length  the  maiden  grew  wan  and  thin  and  was 
slowly  wasting  away.  So  Apollo  in  pity  decided  to 
change  her  into  a  flower  which  could  stand  all  day  and 
gaze  upon  him  without  suffering.  So  her  feet  became 
roots,  growing  fast  in  the  ground  ;  her  slender  body 
was  changed  to  a  long,  slender  stem  ;  her  eyes  became 


22  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

the  center  of  the  flower,  and  her  yellow  curls,  a  golden 
fringe  of  petals  ;  and  Clytie  was  a  flower. 

This  is  why  the  sunflower  all  summer  long  stands 
upright  in  the  garden  and  turns  her  face  toward  the 
sun  as  he  passes  from  east  to  west. 

Conversation : 

What  is  a  nymph  ? 

How  did  Clytie  look?  What  words  help  you 
to  picture  her  ? 

What  did  she  do  every  day  ?     Why  ? 

Who  was  Apollo  ? 

How  did  he  ride  through  the  heavens  ? 

Did  Apollo  love  Clytie?  How  did  he  show 
this? 

The  story  says  that  "  the  maiden  grew  wan  and 
thin."  What  does  wan  mean?  Why  did  Clytie 
grow  wan  and  thin  ? 

What  did  Apollo  do ?     Why? 

What  happened  to  Clytie  ?  What  words  help 
you  to  picture  the  change  ? 

What  does  the  sunflower  do  ?     Why  ? 

Let  as  many  of  the  children  as  possible  tell  the 
story  of  Clytie.     Be  sure  to  tell  about : 

1.  -Who  Clytie  was. 

2.  How  she  showed  her  love  for  Apollo. 

3.  How  Apollo  at  first  showed  his  love  for  her. 

4.  Why  she  grew  wan  and  thin. 

5.  How  Apollo  changed  her. 

6.  What  the  sunflower  does. 


BOOK   ONE  23 


Read  the  first  two  sentences  in  "  The  Story  of 
Clytie."  Whom  do  they  describe  ?  Let  one  pupil 
copy  them  upon  the  blackboard,  while  the  rest 
watch,  ready  to  make  corrections  if  needed. 

Look  at  different  sentences  in  the  story. 

With  what  kind  of  letter  do  they  all  begin  ? 

Write  in  your  notebooks  : 

Every  sentence  begins  with  a  capital. 

What  mark  is  placed  after  the  sentences  in  the 
story  ? 

Make  a  definition  for  the  use  of  the  period. 


X 

THE   NEW   WHIP 

Sentences  that  make  Statements  —  the  Period 
A  person  who  takes  care  of  hunting  dogs  is  often  called  a  "  whip." 

Conversation : 

What  kind  of  dogs  are  these? 

Do  they  love  their  New  Whip  ? 

How  do  you  know  ? 

Do  you  think  they  fear  the  whip  in  her  hands  ? 

To  the  Teacher :  Discuss  the  sentences  with  the  class.  Encour- 
age the  pupils  to  tell  why  they  are  sentences.  Do  not  attempt  defini- 
tions yet 


24 


ENGLISH   LESSONS 


THE   NEW  WHIP 


What  is  the  New  Whip  wearmg  ? 
Why  does  she  wear  the  big  cap  and  coat  ? 
Have  you  ever  seen  a  picture  of  a  hunt  ? 
Find  a  story  about  a  dog  and  tell  it  in  class. 


BOOK   ONE  25 

Written  Exercise : 

Make  a  story  about  the  picture,  each  one  giving 
a  sentence  for  the  teacher  to  write  on  the  black- 
board. 

Arrange  the  sentences  in  the  best  order,  and  copy 
them  in  your  notebooks. 

Tell  what  these  sentences  do.  After  you  have 
talked  about  it  with  the  teacher  and  the  class,  let 
each  write  on  the  blackboard  a  statement  of  what 
sentences  do.  Choose  the  best  statement  or  to- 
gether make  a  new  one  and  copy  it. 

Write  in  your  notehooks: 

1.  Sentences  make  statements. 

You  will  learn  later  of  other  things  that  sen- 
tences do. 

What  mark  is  placed  after  these  sentences  ? 

Write  in  your  notebooks: 

2.  Periods  are  placed  after  sentences  that  make  state- 
ments. 

XI 

GUESSING  GAME 

Arranging  Sentences 

Guess  what  I  am  : 

I  make  my  own  blanket. 
It  is  not  made  of  wool. 
It  is  finely  woven. 


26  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

I  sleep  all  winter  in  my  blanket. 

I  am  not  a  bud. 

I  awake  in  the  spring. 

I  love  the  sunshine. 

I  like  honey. 

I  am  not  a  bee. 

I  have  four  beautiful  wings. 

Now  tell  what  I  am. 

Make  another  guessing  game  like  this. 

Write  sentences  for  your  game  upon  the  black- 
board. When  the  class  and  the  teacher  have  decided 
which  is  the  best  arrangement  of  the  sentences, 
copy  them  on  paper  or  in  your  notebooks. 

Make  other  games,  describing  animals  or  things 
v^ithout  life. 


XII 


Names  that  Mean  One  and  Names  that  Mean  More 
than  One 

THE   CLUCKING   HEN 
Read  : 

The  clucking  hen  sat  on  a  nest, 

She  made  it  in  the  hay ; 
And  warm  and  snug  beneath  her  breast 
A  dozen  wliite  eggs  lay. 

Crack,  crack  !  went  all  the  eggs, 
Out  came  the  chickens  small. 


BOOK  ONE  27 

"  Cluck  !  "  said  the  clucking  hen, 
"  Now  I  have  you  all. 

"  Come  along,  ray  little  chicks, 

I'll  take  a  walk  with  you." 
"  Hello  !  "  said  the  barnyard  cock, 

"  Cock-a-doodle-doo  !  " 

Aunt  Effie's  Rhymes. 

Conversation : 

What  do  you  see  when  you  read  the  first  stanza  ? 
What  do  you  hear  ? 

What  words  in  the  second  stanza  make  you  hear 
something  ?     What  does  this  stanza  tell  about  ? 

What  did  the  hen  say  to  the  chickens  ? 

What  did  the  cock  say  when  he  saw  the  chickens  ? 
Did  you  ever  hear  a  cock  say  "Cock-a-doodle-doo"? 

Copy  in  a  list  these  words :  hen^  nest.,  breast, 
cock. 

How  many  things  does  each  of  these  words 
name? 

Write  opposite  each  the  word  that  names  more 
than  one,  as  hen  —  hens. 

Pick  out  from  the  verses  all  words  that  name 
more  than  one  thing,  and  copy  them  in  a  Hst. 

Write  opposite  each  the  word  that  means  only 
one  of  the  same  thing. 

Read  these  sentences  aloud : 

The  Qgg  is  in  the  nest. 
The  eggs  are  in  the  nest. 


28  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

How  many  eggs  are  spoken  of  in  the  first  sen- 
tence ?     In  the  second  ? 

What  other  words  are  different  in  the  two  sen- 
tences ? 

Can  you  tell  why  ? 

We  use  is  in  speaking  of  one,  and  are  in  speak- 
ing of  more  than  one. 

Oral  Exercise : 

Change  these  sentences  so  that  each  shall  tell 
about  more  than  one  thing.  Be  careful  to  change 
is  to  are.     Read  the  sentences  aloud  to  the  class. 

The  wind  is  soft. 

The  tree  is  in  leaf. 

The  flower  is  blossoming. 

The  bird  is  singing. 

The  lamb  is  frisking. 

The  boy  is  playing  and  shouting. 

The  farmer  is  plowing  in  the  field. 

What  season  of  the  year  do  these  sentences  make 
you  think  of  ? 

Answer  these  questions  in  complete  sentences  : 

Are  the  books  yours  ? 
Where  are  the  pencils  ? 
Are  oranges  good  to  eat? 
When  are  they  ripe  ? 
Of  what  color  are  they  ? 
Of  what  shape  are  they  ? 
Are  they  juicy  ? 


BOOK  ONE  29 

Are  they  sweet  ? 

Are  orange  trees  large  ? 

Are  the  leaves  dark  green  or  light  green  ? 

Are  they  dull  or  glossy  ? 


XIIT 
THE   HARE   AND   THE   TORTOISE 


Quotation  Marks 
Mead  : 

There  was  a  great,  brown,  ugly  tortoise  who  lived 
under  the  leaves  in  a  wood.  He  was  fiat  and  broad  and 
awkward.  His  legs  were  short,  so  that  he  could  not 
run  fast.  But  he  was  patient,  and  when  he  started  to 
go  to  any  place,  he  kept  right  on  till  he  got  there. 

One  day  the  tortoise  was  lying  in  the  sunshine,  en- 
joying a  quiet  nap.  Along  came  a  hare,  taking  great 
leaps  with  his  long  legs.  When  he  saw  the  tortoise,  he 
stopped  and  said,  "  Oho !  here  is  that  clumsy  tortoise, 
I  will  have  some  fun." 

So  he  called  out,  "  Wake  up,  tortoise,  and  I'll  run 
you  a  race  to  the  oak  tree  at  the  other  end  of  the 
wood." 

"  Who  will  be  the  judge  ? "  said  the  tortoise, 
sleepily. 

"  Here  comes  the  fox.  He  will  be  the  judge,"  said 
the  hare. 

Then  they  started.  Soon  the  hare  had  left  the  tor- 
toise out  of  sight.     "I  have  time  enough.     I  think  I 


30  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

will  rest  awhile,"  he  said.  So  he  lay  down  under  a  tree 
and  fell  asleep. 

The  tortoise  came  on  slowly  and  passed  the  sleeping 
hare.     He  would  not  rest  until  he  reached  the  oak  tree. 

After  a  time  the  hare  waked  up,  and,  seeing  the 
tortoise  nowhere,  hurried  on  to  the  goal.  But  there 
was  the  tortoise  already,  sitting  in  the  sun  talking 
witli  the  fox.  The  fox  said  to  the  hare,  "  The  tortoise 
has  won  the  race  while  you  were  sleeping." 

After  you  have  read  the  story,  tell  it.  Be  sure 
to  meution  these  things : 

1.  What  the  tortoise  was  like. 

2.  What  the  hare  did. 

3.  What  the  hare  and  the  tortoise  said. 

4.  What  they  did  in  the  race. 

5.  How  the  race  ended. 


Run  —  Ran 
Good  Usage : 

Read  these  sentences : 

Hares  run  fast. 

The  hare  ran  a  race  with  the  tortoise. 

The  hare  has  run  a  race  with  the  tortoise. 

What  word  tells  what  hares  do  ? 
What  word  tells  what  the  hare  did  ? 
What  word  is  used  with  has  to  tell  what  the 
hare  has  done  ? 


BOOK   ONE  31 

Conversation : 

Make  complete  statements. 

What  animals  ran  a  race  ?     How  far  did  they 
run  ?     Which  ran  the  faster  ? 
Did  you  ever  run  a  race  ? 
Whom  did  you  run  w^ith  ? 
How  far  did  you  run  ? 

Change  these  sentences  so  as  to  tell  what  the 
animals  did  at  some  tiuie  in  the  past : 

My  dog  runs  after  rabbits. 
That  horse  often  runs  away. 

The  dog  runs  after  the  kitten,  and  the  kitten  runs 
up  a  tree. 

The  cat  runs  after  the  mouse. 

Written  Exercise: 

Write  two  sentences  of  your  own,  using  raiij  and 
two  others,  using  has  run  or  have  run. 
Read  them  to  the  class. 

Conversation  and  Written  Exercise : 

Tell  what  you  think  of  each  of  the  animals. 

What  does  this  fable  mean  ? 

How  many  sentences  are  there  in  the  fable  ? 

Copy  the  first  four. 

Find  words  in  the  story  that  describe  the  hare ; 
the  tortoise. 

Tell  what  prevented  the  hare  from  winning  the 
race. 


32  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Copy  all  of  the  things  that  the  hare  said. 

Copy  all  of  the  things  that  the  tortoise  said. 

Notice  the  marks  that  inclose  what  each  one 
said.     They  are  called  quotation  marks. 

The  first  word  of  a  quotation  should  begin  with  a 
capital  letter. 

Choose  characters  and  act  the  story  as  a  dialogue. 
Expressive  Activities  : 

Illustrate  either  by  painting,  cutting,  or  model- 
ing one  of  these : 

The  hare  and  the  tortoise  starting  in  the  race. 

The  hare  resting  under  the  trees. 

The  hare  taking  a.  nap. 

The  tortoise  at  the  goal  and  the  hare  running  to 
catch  up. 

XIV 

THE   CIRCUS 

Making  Sentences 

1 

The  Parade 
Conversation  : 

Did  you  ever  see  a  circus  parade  ? 
Tell  when  and  where  you  saw  it. 
Was  it  a  fine  parade  ? 
What  animals  did  you  see  in  it  ? 
What  part  of  the  parade  did  you  like   best? 
Why  ? 
Why  do  you  like  a  circus  parade  ? 


BOOK   ONE 


33 


What  parades  have  you  seen  besides  the  circus 
parade  ?     Tell  about  one  of  these  : 


A  policemen's  parade. 
A  firemen's  parade. 
A  soldiers'  parade. 
A  Labor  Day  parade. 
A  Fourth  of  July  parade. 


Expressive  Activities  : 

Illustrate  on  the  blackboard  some  of  the  things 
you  saw  in  the  circus  parade. 


The  Circus 
Conversation  : 

Which  would  you  rather  do,  see  the  parade  or 
go  to  the  circus?     Why? 


34 


ENGLISH  LESSONS 


Make  five  sentences  about  the  elephant. 
Did  you  ever  play  circus  ? 
Tell  when,  where,  and  how  you  played  circus. 
Tell  about  the  circus.  ^ 

Written  Exercise  : 

Write  the  names  of  all  the  animals  you  saw  at 
the  circus.  Will  you  begin  them  with  capitals  or 
with  small  letters  ?  See  how  the  names  of  animals 
begin  in  this  lesson. 


Teach  —  Taught 
Good  Usage  ; 

Read  these  sentences : 

The  men  teach  the  animals  many  tricks. 
The  men  taught  the  animals  many  tricks. 

Which  sentence  tells  what  the  men  do  now  ? 
What  does  the  other  sentence  tell  ? 


BOOK  ONE  35 

Conversation  : 

Remember  to  make  complete  statements. 

Tell  something  that  some  one  teaches  you  —  your 
father,  your  mother,  your  big  brother  or  sister,  or 
your  teacher. 

Tell  something  that  you  have  taught  some  one 
else  or  that  you  have  taught  a  pet  animal. 

Exercise  : 

In  these  sentences,  use  taught  in  place  of  teach 
and  teaches.     Read  the  sentences  aloud. 

Charles  teaches  his  dog  to  beg  for  candy. 

The  bird  teaches  its  young  to  fly. 

My  parents  teach  me  to  tell  the  truth. 

They  teach  rae  to  be  brave. 

Our  teachers  teach  us  to  love  our  country. 

The  big  boys  teach  the  little  ones  to  swim. 

Oar  mistakes  teach  us  to  be  careful. 

The  study  of  language  teaches  us  to  speak  well. 

Do  not  say  learn  when  you  should  say  teach.  We 
learn  w^hen  we  find  out  things.  We  teach  when  we 
help  others  to  find  out  things.  A  baby  learns  to 
walk.  Its  mother  teaches  it  to  walk  because  she 
helps  it  to  learn. 

4 

Review 
Oral  Exercise  : 

Change  the  words  in  italics  to  tell  what  the 
persons  or  animals  did,  and  what  they  have  doiie  : 


36  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

We  see  many  strange  animals  at  the  circus. 

The  lions  and  tigers  eat  raw  meat. 

The  horses  in  the  ring  run  very  fast. 

The  wise  elephants  do  many  funny  tricks. 

The  animal  trainers  teach  the  elephants  to  do  tricks. 

Read  your  sentences  to  the  class. 
Try  to  use  these  words  correctly  all  the  time,  at 
home  and  on  the  playground  as  well  as  in  school. 

XV 

WHO  STOLE   THE   BIRD'S  NEST? 

Quotation  —  Rhymes 

1 
Read : 

"  To- whit !  To-whit !  To-whee  ! 
Will  you  listen  to  me  ? 
Who  stole  four  eggs  I  laid, 
And  the  nice  nest  I  made?  " 

"  Not  I,"  said  the  cow,  "  Moo-oo  ! 

Such  a  thing  I'd  never  do. 

I  gave  you  a  wisp  of  hay, 

But  didn't  take  your  nest  away. 

Not  I,"  said  the  cow,  "  Moo-oo ! 

Such  a  thing  I'd  never  do." 

"  To-whit  !  To-whit !  To-whee  I 
Will  you  listen  to  me  ? 
Who  stole  four  eggs  I  laid, 
And  the  nice  nest  I  made  ?  " 


BOOK   ONE  37 

"Bob-o'-link!  Bob-o'4ink  ! 
Now  what  do  you  think  ? 
Who  stole  a  nest  away 
From  the  plum  tree  to-day?  " 

"  Not  I,"  said  the  dog,  "  Bow-wow  ! 
I  wouldn't  be  so  mean,  anyhow ! 
I  gave  the  hairs  the  nest  to  make, 
But  the  nest  I  did  not  take. 
Not  I,"  said  the  dog,  "  Bow-wow  ! 
I'm  not  so  mean,  anyhow." 

"Coo-coo!     Coo-coo!     Coo-coo! 
Let  me  speak  a  word  too! 
Who  stole  that  pretty  nest 
From  little  yellow  breast?  " 

"Not  I,"  said  the  sheep,  "Oh,  no! 

I  wouldn't  treat  a  poor  bird  so! 

I  gave  wool  the  nest  to  line. 

But  the  nest  was  none  of  mine. 

Baa!     Baa!"  said  the  sheep,  "Oh,  no, 

I  wouldn't  treat  a  poor  bird  so." 

***** 
"  Chirr-a-whirr!     Cliirr-a- whirr!  " 
All  the  birds  make  a  stir! 
"  Let  us  find  out  his  name. 
And  all  cry,  '  for  shame! '  " 

"  I  would  not  rob  a  bird," 
Said  little  Mary  Green; 
"  I  think  I  never  heard 
Of  anything  so  mean." 


38  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

"  It  is  very  cruel  too," 
Said  little  Alice  Neal; 
"  I  wonder  if  he  knew 
How  sad  the  bird  would  feel." 

A  little  boy  hung  down  his  head, 
And  went  and  hid  behind  the  bed; 
For  he  stole  that  pretty  nest 
From  poor  little  yellow  breast. 
And  he  felt  so  full  of  shame. 
He  didn't  like  to  tell  his  name. 

Lydia  Maria  Child. 


Expressive  Activities : 

Draw  or  paint  pictures  illustrating  the  different 
parts  of  the  poem. 

Cut  out  of  paper  figures  of  the  animals. 

Model  the  animals  in  clay. 

Make  on  the  sand-table  a  picture  of  the  whole. 

Conversation : 

Kead  the  first  stanza  again. 

Who  is  speaking  ?     To  whom  ? 

Read  each  stanza  and  tell  who  is  speaking  and 
to  whom. 

Who  did  steal  the  bird's  nest? 

Are  the  cow  and  the  dog  and  the  sheep  telling 
the  truth  ? 

What  proofs  do  they  give  ? 


BOOK   ONE  39 

Do  you  think  they  are  good  proofs  ? 
What  should  be  done  to  any  one  who  would  steal 
a  bird's  nest  ? 

How  did  the  boy  who  stole  it  feel  ? 
Do  you  think  he  will  do  it  again  ? 
Can  he  do  anything  to  repay  the  bird  ? 

Written  Exercise  : 

Write  sentences  answering  the  questions  asked 
above. 

Be  careful  to  use  capitals  correctly  and  to  put 
periods  after  the  statements. 

3 

Stole  —  Stolen 
Good  Usage : 

Find  and  copy  the  lines  containing  the  word 
stole  in  stanzas  3,  4,  6,  and  in  the  last  stanza. 

With  have  or  has,  stolen  would  be  used  in  place 
of  stole. 

Rewrite  the  lines,  putting  in  has. 

Grave  —  Given 

Find  and  copy  all  the  lines  that  tell  what  the 
animals  gave  to  make  the  nest. 

With  has  or  have,  given  should  be  used  instead  of 
gave. 

Rewrite  the  lines,  using  have. 


40  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Conversation  : 

Answer  these  questions  in  complete  sentences  : 

What  did  the  cow  give  the  bird  ? 

What  did  the  dog  give  ? 

What  did  the  sheep  give  ? 

What  did  Santa  Claus  give  you  at  Christmas  ? 

Did  you  give  any  one  a  Christmas  present  ? 

To  whom  did  you  give  it  ? 

Your  parents  and  friends  have  given  you  many 
things.  Tell  of  one  thing  that  some  one  has  given 
you,  using  the  words  has  given  or  have  given, 

XVI 

GUESSING   GAME 

Words  to  use  after  "  It  is  " 
Read : 

I  am  thinking  of  a  girl  whom  I  saw  driving  in  the 
park  yesterday.      Who  is  it  ? 
Is  it  Theresa? 

It  is  not  she  :   it  is  a  larger  girl. 
Is  it  Margaret  ? 

It  is  not  she  :   this  girl  has  blue  eyes. 
Is  it  Edith  ? 

It  is  not  she :   this  girl  has  yellow  hair. 
Is  it  Ursula  ? 
Yes.     It  is  she. 

Kead  the  following  forms  over  and  over. 
Copy  them  carefully. 


BOOK   ONE  41 

Who  is  at  the  door  ?  Who  killed  Cock  Robin  ? 

It  is  I.  It  was  I. 

It  is  we.  It  was  we. 

It  is  she.  It  was  she. 

It  is  he.  It  was  he. 

It  is  they.  It  was  they. 

Are  you  the  man  in  our  town  who  is  so  wondrous 
wise  ? 
I  am  he. 

Are  you  the  old  woman  that  lived  in  the  shoe  ? 
I  am  she. 

Never  use  the  words  me,  him,  her,  us,  or  them, 
after  am,  is,  loas,  are,  icere,  or  heen. 

Make  games,  asking  one  another  questions  to  be 
answered  like  those  above.  Answer  them  in  sen- 
tences, as  /  am  he,  It  is  they,  It  is  I. 

To  the  Teacher:  Take  up  only  one  pronoun  at  a  lesson.  Young 
children  can  learn  but  one  thing  at  a  time. 

It  is  well  to  write  on  the  blackboard  the  forms  " It  is  I,"  "It  isn't 
I,"  and  the  like,  and  keep  them  there  for  some  time,  making  them  the 
occasion  of  brief  oral  reviews. 

XVII 
THE   FROG   AND   THE   OX 
Sentences  that  ask  Questions 

1 

Bead  : 

An  ox  once  feeding  in  a  meadow  chanced  to  put  his 
foot  among  a  company  of  little  frogs  that  were  basking 
in  the  sun.  He  almost  stepped  upon  them  and  frightened 


42  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

them  nearly  to  death.  One  of  the  little  frogs  hopped 
home  to  his  mother  as  quickly  as  he  could  go.  ''  Oh, 
mother,"  he  said,  "  we  were  sitting  in  the  meadow  when 
a  great  beast,  the  biggest  I  ever  saw,  put  his  foot  right 
down  among  us  and  nearly  stepped  on  us." 

"  How  big  was  he  ?  "  said  the  old  frog.    "  As  big  as  I  ?  " 

"  Oh,  much  bigger,"  said  the  little  frog. 

"  As  big  as  I  am  now  ? "  and  the  old  frog  puffed 
herself  out  to  make  herself  look  larger. 

"  Oh,  much  bigger  yet,"  said  her  son. 

^'As  big  as  this?"  and  she  puffed  herself  out  still 
more. 

"  Oh,  ever  so  much  bigger.  If  you  should  swell  until 
you  burst,  you  would  not  be  so  big,"  said  the  little  frog. 

Then  the  old  frog  tried  once  more  to  puff  herself  up 
until  she  should  be  as  big  as  the  ox,  and  burst  herself 
indeed. 

Tell  the  story  in  class. 
Conversation  : 

Talk  about  the  story,  telling  what  you  think  it 
means.  Answer  these  questions  in  sentences  for 
your  teacher  to  write  on  the  blackboard: 

What  did  the  ox  do? 

What  did  the  little  frog  do? 

What  did  he  say  to  his  mother? 

What  did  she  say? 
.    What  happened  then  ? 

Find  answers  to  the  same  questions,  in  the  story 
in  the  book. 


BOOK   ONE  43 

Which  do  you  like  better,  your  answers  or  those 
in  the  book?     Why? 

How  many  quotations  are  there  in  the  story  ? 

How  can  you  tell  them  ? 

With  what  kind  of  letter  does  each  quotation 
begin  ? 

2 

Sentences  that  ask  Questions 

What  do  sentences  do  ? 

Do  all  of  the  sentences  in  this  fable  make 
statements  ? 

What  is  the  first  sentence  that  does  not  make 
a  statement  ? 

What  does  it  do  ? 

We  see  that  sentences  do  more  than  one  thing. 

1.  Sentences  make  statements. 

2.  Sentences  ask  questions. 

Copy  these  statements  in  your  blank  book. 
How  many  sentences  in  this  fable  are  of  the  first 
kind? 

How  many  are  of  the  second  kind  ? 
What  mark  is  placed  after  a  question  ? 

Oopi/  in  your  blank  hook  : 

Sentences  that  ask  questions  have  this  mark  (?)  at 
the  end.     It  is  called  a  question  mark. 

Sentences  that  ask  questions  begin  with  capital  letters. 

Do  other  sentences  begin  with  capital  letters  ? 


44  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Let  one  of  the  class  be  the  old  frog  and  one  the 
little  frog,  and  act  the  story. 


Burst 
Good  Usage  : 

How  many  times  is  the  word  hurst  used  in  the 
last  four  lines  of  the  story  ? 

We  use  hurst  to  tell  what  is  happening  now,  and 
also  to  tell  what  did  happen  or  has  happened ;  as, 

These  soap  bubbles  burst  easily.  (What  happens 
now.) 

The  frog  puffed  herself  up  until  she  burst  herself. 
(What  did  happen.) 

The  frog  has  burst  herself.     (What  has  happened.) 

Oral  Exercise  : 

Fill  the  blanks  in  these  sentences  and  read  the 
sentences  aloud : 

1.  A  great  gust  of  wind  came,  and  open  the 

door. 

2.  The  pod  of  the   milkweed  and  the  seeds 

were  scattered  by  the  wind. 

3.  The  children  ran  home  and  into  the  house, 

crying  out,  "  O  Mother,  the  great  dam  has ." 

4.  We  tried  to  make  the  soap  bubbles  big,  but  they 
.     As  soon  as  one  had ,  we  blew  another. 

5.  When  his  toy  balloon  ,  the  little  boy  cried. 

But  his  mother  said,  "Don't  cry.     If  your  balloon  has 
,  you  shall  have  another." 


BOOK   ONE  45 

Remember    always    to    say    hurst.      Never    use 
hursted  ;  it  is  not  a  good  word. 


XVIII 

THE   GAMBOLS  OF   CHILDREN 

1 

Names —  Capitals 
Read  : 

When  the  voices  of  children  are  heard  on  the  green, 

And  laughing  is  heard  on  the  hill, 

My  heart  is  at  rest  within  my  breast, 

And  everything  else  is  still. 

Then  come  home,  my  children,  the  sun  is  gone  down, 

And  the  dews  of  night  arise; 

Come,  come,  leave  off  play,  and  let  us  away. 

Till  the  morning  appears  in  the  skies. 

William  Blake. 

Conversation  : 

Read  the  poem  carefully. 

Does  the  first  line  make  you  think  of  the  chil- 
dren in  the  picture  ? 

Are  they  on  the  green  or  on  the  hill  ? 

Who  says  "  My  heart  is  at  rest/'  a  child  or  an 
old  person  ? 

Is  there  any  one  in  the  picture  that  seems  to  feel 
quiet  and  peaceful  as  he  watches  the  children  ? 

Does  he  look  as  if  his  day's  work  were  over  ? 


46  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Do  you  think  he  might  say  anything  to  the 
children  that  is  said  in  the  poem  ? 

What  are  the  children  in  the  picture  doing  ? 

How  many  of  them  are  there  ? 

Are  they  having  a  good  time?  How  do  you 
know  ? 

Do  you  think  any  one  of  them  is  not  happy  ?   Why  ? 

Why  are  the  geese  stretching  out  their  necks 
and  opening  their  mouths?  What  sound  do  you 
think  they  are  making  ? 

Who  besides  the  man  is  watching  the  children  ? 

Do  you  think  the  man  and  the  baby  are  inter- 
ested ?     Why  ? 

Do  these  children  live  in  our  country  ? 

Where  do  you  think  they  live?  Why  do  you 
think  so? 

Oral  Exercise : 

Give  each  child  a  name,  and  tell  the  story  that 
the  picture  tells  to  you. 

Written  Exercise : 

Go  to  the  blackboard  and  write  the  names  that 
you  have  given  the  children. 

After  your  teacher  tells  you  that  they  are  right, 
copy  them. 

With  what  kind  of  letter  does  each  begin  ? 

Write  in  your  notebooks  : 

The  names  of  persons  begin  with  capital  letters. 


BOOK   ONE 


47 


48  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

2 

Is  —  Are;    Was—  Were 
Good  Ugage  : 

The  children  are  playing  and  the  baby  is  watching 
them. 

Why  is  are  used  after  children  ? 
Why  is  is  used  after  baby  ? 

Study  this  sentence : 

The  children  were  playing  and  the  baby  was  watching 
them. 

Tell  how  many  persons  or  things  tvas  makes  a 
statement  about. 

Tell  how  many  ivere  makes  a  statement  about. 

Oral  Exercise  : 

Make  two  statements  about  the  picture,  using  loas. 
Make  two  statements  about  the  picture,  using 
were. 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  your  statements  on  the  blackboard. 
Tell  why  you  used  was  and  why  you  used  loere. 
In  speaking,  always  be  careful  to  use  are  and 
were  with  words  that  mean  more  than  one. 

Write  in  your  notebook : 

/s  and  was  are  used  with  names  that  mean  one. 
Are  and  were  are  used  with  names  that  mean  more 
than  one. 


BOOK   ONE  49 

XIX 

A  GUESSING  GAME 

Review 
1 

Play  you  are  some  object  that  all  know  about. 
One  child  rises  and  says,  — 
"  Guess  what  I  am." 

Other  children  ask  questions ;  as, 
"  Are  you  round  ?  " 

The  child  answers, 

"  I  am  not  round,"  etc., 

like  this  : 

The  Game 

"I  am  a  fruit." 

"  Are  you  round  ?  ** 
"I  am  not  round." 

''  Are  you  yellow  ?  " 
"I  am  not  yellow." 

"-  Are  you  green  ?  " 
"I  am  green." 

"  Are  you  a  plum  ?  " 
"1  am  not  a  plum." 

"  Do  you  grow  on  a  tree  ?" 
"  I  do  not  grow  on  a  tree." 

"  Do  you  grow  on  a  vine  ?  " 
"  I  grow  on  a  vine." 

"  Have  you  seeds  ?  " 
"I  have  many  seeds." 


50  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

''  Are  you  good  to  eat  ?  " 
"I  um  good  to  eat." 

"  Are  you  an  apple  ?" 
"  I  am  not  an  apple." 

"Are  you  pink  and  white  inside?" 
"  I  am  pink  and  white  inside." 

"  Are  you  a  watermelon  ?" 
"I  am  a  watermelon." 

Make  other  similar  games. 

Be  careful  that  all  questions  and  answers  are 
sentences. 

What  two  kinds  of  sentences  do  you  find  in  this 
game  ? 

What  mark  is  placed  after  those  of  each,  kind  ? 

Write  the  questions  and  answers  for  one  game.. 

Be  careful  in  writing  to  use  quotation  marks  for 
the  conversation. 


You  are  —  You  were 
Good  Usage : 

Notice  the  questions  in  the  ^'  Guessing  Game.'* 
Tell  whether  is  or  are  is  used  with  you. 

If  I  say,  "  John,  you  are  doing  well  to-day," 
how  many  does  you  mean  ? 

If  I  say,  "  Children,  are  you  ready  for  a  story  ?  '* 
how  many  does  you  mean  ? 

We  always  use  are  and  loere  with  you  whether  it 
means  one  or  more  than  one. 


BOOK   ONE  51 

Conversation : 

You  may  each  ask  one  of  your  classmates  a 
question,  using  are  you.  Ask  what  he  is  doing 
or  what  he  is  going  to  do. 

Now  you  may  each  ask  some  one  a  question, 
using  ivere  you. 

Tell  what  words  we  use  with  you. 

Write  in  your  notebooks  : 

We  use  are  and  were  with  you  whether  it  means  one  or 
more  than  one. 

XX 

THE   APPLE   ORCHARD 

1 

G-rouping  Sentences 
Conversation  : 

1.  Did  you  ever  gather  apples? 

2.  Where  were  they  ? 

3.  Where  was  the  tree  ? 

4.  What  is  an  orchard  ? 

5.  Are  apple  trees  larger  than  peach  trees? 
than  elm  trees  ? 

6.  Are  they  straight  and  tall,  or  broad  and  bushy  ? 

7.  What  kind  of  leaves  do  they  have?  What 
kind  of  bark  ? 

To  the  Teacher :  Where  apple  orchards  are  not  common,  substi- 
tute some  other  fruit  trees. 


52  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

8.  What   kind   of    blossoms    do    they  have? 
What  are  the  blossoms  for? 

9.  On  what  part  of  the  tree  do  the  apples  grow  ? 

10.  Were  there  apples  and  blossoms  on  the  tree 
at  the  same  time  ? 

11.  At  what  time  of  the  year  were  the  apples  ripe  ? 

12.  How  did  you  gather  them  ? 

13.  Do  people  gather  them  in  any  other  way  ? 

14.  How  are  they  packed  for  market  ? 

15.  Do  you  have  apples  in  the  winter  time  ? 

16.  How  are  they  kept? 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  sentences  in  answer  to  the  questions  above. 

Make  three  stories  of  the  answers :  the  first,  of 
those  to  questions  1  to  4  ;  the  second,  of  those  to 
questions  5  to  10 ;  the  third,  of  those  to  questions 
11  to  16. 

Read : 

The  apple  tree  grew  by  the  wall, 

Ugly  and  crooked  and  black  ; 
But  it  knew  the  gardener's  call, 

And  the  children  rode  on  its  back. 
It  scattered  its  blossoms  upon  the  air, 
It  covered  the  ground  with  fruitage  fair. 

Expressive  Activities  : 

Illustrate  these  lines  either  with  ink  or  water 
colors,  or  by  free-hand  cutting. 


BOOK  ONE  53 

2 
Tell  in  class  a  story  about  any  one  of  the  follow- 
ing topics  : 

My  visit  to  an  apple  orchard  in  the  spring. 

What  I  saw  in  an  apple  orchard  at  apple-picking  time. 

The  journey  of  the  apples  from  the  orchard  to  the 
fruit  store. 

What  we  did  with  the  apples  that  we  bought  at  the 
fruit  stand. 

The  story  of  the  apple  from  the  seed  to  the  fruit. 

XXI 

THE   ROBIN'S   NEST 

1 
Read : 

"Where  shall  I  build  my  nest?"  said  a  robin  one 
day  in  spring. 

"  Build  it  here,  among  my  leaves,  dear  robin,"  an- 
swered the  rose  bush.  "  I  shall  soon  be  thickly  covered 
with  leaves  and  with  beautiful  blossoms,  so  no  one  will 
see  your  nest." 

"  Ah,  no,  good  rose  bush,"  the  robin  said ;  "  T  should  not 
dare  to  trust  my  nest  among  your  leaves  and  blossoms." 

Then  the  apple  tree  said,  "  Build  your  nest  in  my 
branches,  pretty  robin.  I  will  rock  your  baby  robins, 
and  sing  them  to  sleep  with  my  rustling  leaves." 

The  robin  looked  at  the  sturdy  old  apple  tree,  and 
answered,  "Yes,  yes,  kind  tree.  My  little  nest  will  be 
safe  in  your  strong  arms,  I  know."  And  in  a  few  days 
the  dainty  home  was  made. 

Tell  the  story  in  class. 


54  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Conversation 

Did  you  ever  find  a  bird's  nest  in  an  apple  tree 
or  any  other  fruit  tree  ? 

What  kind  of  bird  had  built  it  ? 

Do  apples  have  any  enemies  ?  What  are  they  ? 
What  do  they  do  to  the  apples  ? 

Are  the  birds  friends  or  enemies  of  the  apple 
tree?     Why? 

Tell  all  you  can  about  the  friends  and  the 
enemies  of  apple  trees. 

Memorize : 

They'll  come  again  to  the  apple  tree, 

Robin  and  all  the  rest, 

When  the  orchard  branches  are  fair  to  see 

In  the  snow  of  blossoms  dressed, 

And  the  prettiest  thing  in  the  world  will  be 

The  building  of  the  nest. 

Mrs.  M.  E.  Sangster. 


Co7ne  —  Oame 
Good  Usage  : 

1.  In  the  spring  the  robins  come  back. 

2.  Last  spring  one  came  to  the  apple  tree. 

3.  He  has  come  again  tliis  spring. 

Study  the  sentences  above. 
What  word  do  we  use  in  place  of  come  when  we 
speak  of  what  is  past  ? 


BOOK   ONE  55 

What  word  do  we  use  with  have  ? 
To  tell  what  took  place  at  some  time  in  the  past, 
we  use  came.     After  has,  have,  or  had,  we  use  come. 

Conversation  : 

Answer  these  questions  in  complete  sentences, 
one  speaking  at  a  time : 

How  many  came  to  school  early  this  morning  ? 

How  many  have  come  early  every  day  this  term  ? 

When  did  your  last  birthday  come  ? 

When  did  Christmas  come  ? 

Did  Santa  Claus  come  on  Christmas  ? 

How  did  he  come  ? 

When  did  your  last  vacation  come? 

Has  spring  come  ? 

Have  the  flowers  come  ? 

Has  autumn  come  ? 

Written  Exercise  : 

Write  these  sentences,  filling  the  blanks  with 
come  or  came.     Read  the  story  to  the  class. 

Spring  had .     One  day  a  robin to  an  apple 

tree  and  said,  "  I  have to  build  my  nest  in  your 

branches." 

The  apple  tree  answered,  "  I  am  glad  you  have , 

Mrs.  Robin." 

Day  after  day  the  robin to  the  tree  and  worked 

busily  until  the  nest  was  done.  Ail  summer  the  Robin 
family  lived  in  the  apple  tree,  but  when   the  autumn 

had they  flew  away,  and  the  apple  tree  never  saw 

them  again, 


66  ENGLISH   LESSONS 


Review 

Answer  these  questions  orally ;  be  sure  that  you 
use  the  right  words  : 

Have  you  seen  a  bird  build  its  nest  ? 

What  bird  did  you  see  build  its  nest  ? 

Did  it  do  its  work  well  ? 

How  many  eggs  were  in  the  nest  ? 

What  did  the  young  birds  eat  ? 

Who  gave  them  their  food  ? 

Did  you  see  them  eat  ? 

When  did  they  fly  away  ? 

Did  they  ever  come  back  ? 

xxn 

THE  PRINCESS  AND  THE   PEA 

The  Paragraph  —  Indentation 

1 
Read  : 

There  was  once  a  prince  who  wanted  to  marry  a 
princess ;  but  she  must  be  a  real  princess.  So  he 
traveled  about,  all  through  the  world,  to  find  a  real  one. 

There  were  princesses  enough,  but  he  was  never 
quite  sure  that  they  were  real  princesses  ;  there  was 
always  something  that  did  not  seem  just  right.  So  he 
came  home  again  and  was  very  sad,  for  he  wished  so 
much  to  have  a  real  princess. 


BOOK  ONE  57 

One  evening  a  terrible  storm  arose.  It  lightened  and 
thundered  ;  the  rain  streamed  down ;  it  was  fearful. 

Then  there  was  a  knocking  at  the  town  gate,  and  the 
old  king  went  out  to  open  it. 

It  was  a  princess  who  stood  outside  the  gate.  But 
merc}^  !  how  she  looked  !  The  rain  ran  down  from  her 
hair  and  her  clothes  ;  it  ran  in  at  the  toes  of  her  shoes 
and  out  at  the  heels  ;  and  yet  she  declared  that  she  was 
a  real  princess. 

"  We  shall  soon  find  that  out,"  thought  the  old  queen. 
She  said  nothing,  but  went  into  the  bedchamber,  took 
off  all  the  bedding,  and  put  a  pea  on  the  flooring  of  the 
bedstead.  Then  she  took  twenty  mattresses  and  laid 
them  upon  the  pea,  and  then  twenty  eider-down  beds 
upon  the  mattresses.  On  this  the  princess  had  to  lie 
all  night. 

In  the  morning  she  was  asked  how  she  had  slept. 

"  Oh,  miserably,"  said  the  princess.  "  I  scarcely  closed 
my  eyes  all  night  long.  I  lay  upon  something  hard,  so 
that  I  am  black  and  blue  all  over.    It  was  quite  dreadful." 

Now  the  old  queen  knew  that  the  stranger  was  a  real 
princess,  for  she  had  felt  the  pea  through  tlie  twenty 
mattresses  and  the  twenty  eider-down  beds.  No  one 
but  a  real  princess  could  be  so  delicate. 

So  the  prince  took  her  for  his  wife,  for  now  he  also 
was  sure  that  she  was  a  real  princess  ;  and  the  pea  was 
put  in  the  museum,  and  it  is  there  now,  unless  some- 
body has  carried  it  off.         Hans  Christian  Andersen. 

After  reading  the  story,  tell  it  in  class,  each  one 
in  turn  telling  a  part,  until  your  teacher  calls  on 
some  one  else  to  follow. 


58  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Finding  Paragraphs 

After  telling  the  whole  story,  open  your  book 
again. 

Notice  that  the  story  is  divided  into  parts. 

Observe  where  the  first  word  of  each  new  part  is 
placed. 

Read  the  first  part.  How  many  sentences  are 
there  in  it  ? 

Read  the  second  part.  How  many  sentences  are 
there  in  it? 

What  does  the  fa  rst  part  tell  about  ?  the  second  ? 

Do  the  sentences  in  each  part  all  tell  about  the 
same  thing  ? 

Each  of  these  parts  is  called  a  paragraph. 

Paragraphs  are  made  up  of  one  or  more  sentences  all 
about  the  same  thing. 

Where  is  the  first  word  of  each  paragraph  placed  ? 

Make  a  rule  about  it  and  write  it  in  your  note- 
book. 

Placing  the  first  word  to  the  right  of  the  margin 
is  called  indenting  the  word. 


Play  you  are  the  different  people  in  the  story. 
Write  what  each  says. 

Then  choose  characters  and  talk  what  you  have 
written. 


BOOK   ONE  59 

XXIII 

HOW  TO   SHOW  OWNERSHIP 

The  children  had  had  a  picnic.  All  day  they  had  been 
scrambling  over  rockvS,  and  wading  in  the  little  stream 
that  ran  through  the  caiion.  When  they  came  home  at 
night,  Mary's  shoes  were  wet,  Dorothy's  dress  had  a 
rent  in  one  side,  Ruth's  nose  was  sunburned,  and  Bob's 
hat  was  missing ;  but  all  had  had  a  delightful  time. 

What  word  in  this  story  shows  whose  shoes  were 
wet  ?  Find  other  words  that  tell  to  whom  some- 
thing belonged. 

How  are  all  these  w^ords  written? 

Write  your  own  name.  Now  write  the  word 
hook  after  it  and  change  the  writing  of  your  name 
so  that  it  will  mean  that  the  book  is  yours. 

The  mark  ( ' )  is  called  an  apostrophe,  and  the 
name  written  with  the  's  added  is  said  to  be  in  the 
possessive  form,  because  it  shows  that  the  person 
owns  or  possesses  the  thing  mentioned. 

Write  the  names  of  the  members  of  your  class  in 
the  possessive  form,  and  write  after  each  the  name  of 
something  owned. 

XXIV 

PROPER  NAMES  -  INITIALS  —  DATES 
1 

Write  on  the  blackboard  your  full  name. 
Which  part  of  it  belongs  to  your  whole  family  ? 


60  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Why  was  your  other  name  given  to  you  ? 
The  name  that  belongs  to  a  whole  family  is 
called  the  family  name,  or  surname. 

The  special  name  that  is  given  to  each  member 
of  the  family  is  called  the  Christian  name  or  given 
name. 

Do  you  see  why  ? 

Write  in  a  column  the  given  names  of  these  four 
men : 

George  Washington 
Abraham  Lincoln 
John  Greenleaf  Whittier 
Henry  Wadsworth  Longfellow 

Write  above  the  column  the  words  given  names. 
Then  draw  a  vertical  line  after  the  names  and 
write  on  the  other  side  of  it  the  men's  surnames. 
When  you  write  the  names  of  Mr.  Whittier  and 
Mr.  Longfellow,  on  which  side  of  the  line  will  you 
put  Greenleaf  2cn.di  Wadsioorthf 

They  are  sometimes  called  middle  names.  Do 
they  belong  to  the  given  names  or  the  surnames  ? 
Why? 

2 

Mr.  Whittier's  name  is  sometimes  written  John 
G.  Whittier,  and  Mr.  Longfellow's,  Henry  W.  Long- 
fellow or  H.  W.  Longfellow. 

The  first  letter  of  a  name  is  called  its  initial. 

An  initial  is  an  abbreviation  of  a  name. 


BOOK   ONE  61 

What  mark  follows  the  initials  in  Mr.  Long- 
fellow's name  ? 

What  mark  have  you  learned  to  place  after 
abbreviations  ? 

Make  a  rule  for  the  mark  to  be  used  after  initials, 
and  copy  it  in  your  notebook. 

Copy  on  the  blackboard  : 

George  Washington  was  born  Feb.  22,  1732. 

Why  is  the  period  used  after  Feb.  ? 

Why  after  1732  ? 

The  mark  after  22  is  called  a  comma. 

Write  your  own  given  name  and  surname  and 
the  date  of  your  birth. 

Write  the  given  names  and  surnames  of  all  the 
members  of  your  family.  Write  after  each  the 
date  of  birth. 

XXV 

A  LETTER 


The  man  who  wrote  "  Alice  in  Wonderland  " 
was  Dr.  C  L.  Dodgson.  But  in  his  books  he  called 
himself  Lewis  Carroll. 

He  was  very  fond  of  children  and  had  many 
friends  among  them. 

Once  he  met  in  a  park  a  little  girl  named  Isabel, 
and  he  drew  some  puzzles  for  her. 

After  he  had  gone  away,  he  wrote  her  a  letter. 
Here  is  a  part  of  it. 


62  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Eead  it  carefully. 

Copy  it  exactly,  arranging  all  tlie  parts  of  the 
letter  and  placing  all  marks  just  as  they  are  in  the 
book. 

The  Chestnuts,  Guilford, 
August  22,  1869. 
My  dear  Isabel : 

Though  I  have  been  acquainted  with 
you  only  fifteen  minutes,  yet,  as  there  is  no  one  else  in 
Reading  I  have  known  so  long,  I  hope  you  will  not 
mind  my  writing  to  you. 

A  friend  of  mine,  called  Mr.  Lewis  Carroll,  tells  mo 
he  means  to  send  you  a  book.  He  is  a  very  dear  friend 
of  mine.  I  have  known  liim  all  my  life  (we  are  the 
same  age)  and  have  never  left  him.  Of  course  he  was 
with  me  in  the  Gardens,  not  a  yard  off,  even  while  I  was 
drawing  those  puzzles  for  you. 
I  wonder  if  you  saw  him. 

Your  fifteen-minute  friend, 

C.  L.  Dodgson. 
Conversation: 

Don't  you  think  this  was  a  nice  letter  for  Isabel 

to  receive  from  a  friend  vs^hom  she  had  known  for 

so  short  a  time  ?     How  do  you  suppose  she  felt 

when  she  received  the  letter  ?     What  book  was  Mr. 

Carroll  to  send  her  ?     Have  you  ever  read  "  Alice  in 

Wonderland  "  ?     Did  you  like  it  ?     What  did  you 

like  best  in  it  ? 

2 

When  was  the  letter  written  ? 
Where  was  it  written  ? 


BOOK   ONE  63 

Copy  the  parts  of  the  letter  that  answer  these 
questions,  just  as  they  are  in  the  book. 

This  is  called  the  heading  of  the  letter. 

To  whom  was  the  letter  written  ? 

How  does  Mr.  Dodgson  address  her  ?  Copy  the 
words. 

This  is  called  the  salutation  of  the  letter. 

Write  the  heading  and  the  salutation  of  a  letter 
to  your  cousin.  Be  sure  to  use  marks  and  capitals 
as  they  are  used  in  Isabel's  letter. 

One  of  you  may  write  on  the  blackboard. 

Notice  where  the  word  following  the  salutation 
in  Mr.  Carroll's  letter  is  placed. 

Why  does  it  begin  with  a  capital  letter  ? 

After  the  salutation  that  you  have  written,  write 
the  first  sentence  of  the  letter  to  your  cousin,  saying 
to  him  that  you  are  in  the  language  class.  Be  sure 
to  put  the  first  word  in  the  right  place 

Tell  the  one  writing  on  the  blackboard  just  how 
and  where  to  write  this  first  sentence. 

Write  more  sentences,  telling  about  your  language 
lesson. 

Who  wrote  the  letter  to  Isabel  ?  ,   What  tells  you  ? 

This  is  called  the  signature. 

What  words  did  he  put  before  his  name  ? 

Copy  them  and  the  name  exactly  as  they  are  in 


To  the  Teacher :    A  comma  may   be  used  instead  of   a  colon  in 
letter  headings. 


64  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

the  book.  Be  careful  about  the  marks  and  the 
capital  letters. 

Write  after  your  letter  to  your  cousin  the  words 
your  affectionate  cousin,  and  sign  your  name. 

Copy  these  words  and  your  name  in  your  note- 
book as  a  model. 

Make  a  hst  of  all  words  in  the  letter  that  begin 
with  capitals. 

Write  in  your  notebooks : 

All  names  of  people ,  places,  months,  and  days  begin 
with  capitals, 

3 

Write  —  Wrote  —  Written 
Good  Usage: 

Study  these  sentences : 

We  write  letters  to  our  friends. 
Mr.  Carroll  wrote  a  letter  to  Isabel. 
:    We  have  written  a  letter  on  the  blackboard. 

Tell  when  we  use  write,  when  we  use  ivrote,  and 
when  we  use  written. 

Conversation : 

Answer  these  questions  correctly  in  complete 
sentences : 

Have  you  ever  written  a  letter  ? 

To  whom  have  you  written  ? 

Has  any  one  ever  written  a  letter  to  you  ? 

Who  wrote  to  you  ? 


BOOK   ONE 


65 


What  have  you  written  in  school  this  term  ? 
Can  you  tell  of  some  one  who  has  written  a  story 
or  a  poem  that  you  like  ? 
What  did  he  write  ? 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  the  answers  to  the  questions  above. 

XXVI 

SOME   THINGS   SEEN  IN  THE  CITY   STREETS 
Review  of  Paragraphs 


V 


66  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Conversation : 

Select  any  one  of  these  pictures  and  tell  a  story 
about  it,  answering  the  following  questions : 

Who  is  the  person  ? 

What  is  he  doing  ?     Why  is  he  doing  it  ? 

How  does  he  attract  attention  ? 

Do  you  think  he  makes  much  money  ?     Why  ? 

Which  would  you  rather  be,  one  of  these  persons 
or  the  owner  of  a  grocery  ?     Why  ? 

Do  you  think  the  life  is  an  easy  one  ?     Why  ? 

Which  of  the  persons  would  you  rather  see  on 
your  street  ?     Why  ? 

Expressive  Activities  : 

To  the  Teacher :  Select  such  of  the  following  exercises  as  your 
class  can  readily  do. 

Tell,  in  free-hand  cutting,  the  story  of  some  of 
the  things  which  you  have  seen  on  the  city  streets. 

Make  out  of  cardboard  five  toys  which  you  have 
seen  the  toy  man  sell. 

Illustrate  with  ink  and  brush  the  scissors  grinder 
and  the  things  he  grinds. 

Illustrate  with  water  colors  the  flowers  that 
were  on  the  flower  stand. 

Model  in  clay  the  animals  you  have  seen  sold. 

Written  Exercise  : 

Write  sentences  about  the  subject  of  your  story, 
answering  the  questions  given.  Arrange  the  sen- 
tences in  one  or  more  paragraphs. 


BOOK   ONE 


67 


Review : 

Write  ayiswers  : 

What  do  sentences  do  ? 
What  is  a  paragraph  ? 


XXVII 
CORN 


Sentence  and  Paragraph 

If  possible,  bring  to  class  a  stalk  o^  corn  with 
ears  on  it. 

Conversation : 

Did  you  ever  see  corn  growing  ? 

If  so,  tell  when.  Tell  how  it 
looked  in  the  field,  how  large  it 
was,  whether  it  had  ears  and 
tassels. 

How  many  stalks  were  there  in 
a  hill  ?  How  far  apart  were  the 
hills  ? 

If  you  know  how  it  was  planted, 
tell  about  it. 

Tell  any  other  facts  you  may 
know  about  growing  corn. 

Examine  the  cornstalk. 
Study  the  picture. 


68 


ENGLISH   LESSONS 


Written  Exercise  : 

Write  sentences  about  a  cornstalk,  its  height,  its 
leaves,  its  tassels,  its  ears. 


Study  an  ear 
of  com  (or,  if  you 
cannot  get  one, 
the  picture). 


Conversation : 

Tell  what  covers  the  kernels  of  corn  ;  where  the 
silk  grows  and  what  it  is  for  ;  how  the  kernels 
are  arranged  on  the  cob  ;  where  the  largest  kernels 
are,  where  the  smallest. 

Tell  what  else  you  see  in  an  ear  of  com. 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  a  paragraph  of  five  sentences  about  the 
ear  of  corn. 

3 

Cooperative  Story 
Conversation : 

Tell  what  corn  is  used  for. 

Find  out  all  that  you  can  about  its  uses. 

How  is  it  prepared  for  food  ? 


BOOK   ONE  69 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  a  story  of  a  quart  of  corn  meal  from  the 
plantiog  of  the  corn  to  the  coming  of  the  meal  to 
your  house.  Tell  about  the  field,  the  farmer,  the 
miller,  the  grocer.  Write  the  story  together,  some 
one  writing  on  the  blackboard  the  sentences  given 
by  members  of  the  class. 


There  is  —  There  are 
There  was  —  There  were 
Good  Usage : 

What  difference  have  you  learned  between  is 
and  are? 

What  is  the  difference  between  loas  and  ivere  ? 

Tell  how  many  things  are  spoken  of  in  each  of 
these  sentences  : 

1.  There  is  an  ear  of  corn  on  the  stalk. 

2.  There  was  an  ear  of  corn  on  the  stalk. 

3.  There  are  tassels  on  the  corn. 

4.  There  were  tassels  on  the  corn. 

It  is  very  easy  to  make  mistakes  in  using  is  and 
are,  was  and  loere,  when  the  sentence  begins  with 
there. 

Be  careful  to  use  There  are  and  There  loere  when 
you  are  speaking  of  more  than  one  thing. 


70  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Conversation : 

Use  complete  sentences  in  answering  these  ques- 
tions : 

Are  there  books  on  the  desk  ? 
What  else  is  there  on  the  desk  ?     (Tell  of  one 
thing.) 

How  many  pencils  are  there  in  my  hand  ? 
How  many  children  are  there  in  the  room  ? 
How  many  pictures  are  there  on  the  w^all  ? 
Are  there  any  holidays  this  term  ? 
What  holidays  are  there  ? 
Is  there  snow  on  the  mountains  ? 
Are  there  poppies  on  the  hills  ? 
Are  there  clouds  in  the  sky  to-day  ? 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  one  sentence  beginning  with  "  There  is  "  ; 
one  beginning  with  "  There  was  "  ;  one  beginning 
with  "  There  are " ;  and  one  beginning  with 
"  There  were." 

How  will  you  spell  the  first  word  ? 

Read  your  sentences  to  the  class. 

Write  in  your  notebook : 

Use  there  is  and  there  was  in  speaking  of  one  person  or 
thing. 

Use  there  are  and  there  were  in  speaking  of  more  than 
one. 


BOOK   ONE  71 

XXVIII 

THANKSGIVING 

Study  of  Poem  —  Letter  Writing 

1 

Write  a  list  of  things  for  which  you  are  thank- 
ful. 

This  poem  tells  what  the  poet  was  thankful  for. 

Study  it  and  see  if  you  are  thankful  for  the 
same  things. 

For  flowers  that  bloom  about  our  feet, 
For  tender  grass,  so  fresh,  so  sweet. 
For  song  of  bird  and  hum  of  bee, 
For  all  things  fair  we  hear  or  see, 
For  blue  of  stream  and  blue  of  sky. 
For  pleasant  shade  of  branches  high. 
For  fragrant  air  and  cooling  breeze. 
For  beauty  of  the  blooming  trees, 
P^or  mother-love  and  father-care. 
For  brothers  strong  and  sisters  fair, 
For  love  at  home  and  here  each  day, 
For  guidance  lest  we  go  astray, 
For  this  new  morning  with  its  light. 
For  rest  and  shelter  of  the  night, 
For  health  and  food,  for  love  and  friends. 
For  ev'rything  His  goodness  sends. 
Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  Thee. 

Ralph  Waldo  Emerson. 


72  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

2 
Read  : 

There  is  so  much  to  be  thankful  for  that  one 
day  in  each  year  is  set  apart  for  thanksgiving.  It 
is  called  Thanksgiving  Day. 

The  President  writes  a  letter  to  all  the  people, 
urging  them  to  give  thanks  on  this  day. 

This  is  the  day  when  families  gather  and  enjoy 
themselves. 

I  wonder  if  we  are  always  thankful. 

Conversation  : 

Did  you  ever  keep  Thanksgiving  Day?  What 
did  you  do  ?     Tell  about  it. 

Written  Exercise  : 

Write  a  letter  to  a  friend,  telling  about  some 
Thanksgiving  festival  that  you  have  had  or  would 
like  to  have. 

XXIX 

NERO 

Sentences  that  Command 

Nero  was  a  Newfoundland  dog.  One  day  his  master 
showed  him  a  shilling  and  then  put  it  under  a  stone  by 
the  side  of  the  road.  The  man  and  dog  went  on  three 
miles.  Then  the  master  said,  ''Nero,  go  and  get  the 
shilling."  Nero  trotted  away.  After  a  time  he  came 
back  with  the  shilling.     Wasn't  he  an  intelligent  dog  ? 


BOOK   ONE  73 

What  two  things  have  you  learned  that  sentences 
do  ?  Find  in  the  story  sentences  that  make  state- 
ments.    Do  you  find  any  that  ask  questions? 

What  did  the  man  say  to  his  dog?  Is  this  a 
statement  ?     Is  it  a  question  ?     What  is  it  ? 

What,  then,  is  a  third  thing  that  sentences  do  ? 

Write  in  your  7iotebook  : 

1.  Sentences  make  statements. 

2.  Sentences  ask  questions. 

3.  Sentences  command  or  direct. 

Search  your  reader  for  sentences  that  command. 
With  what  kind  of  letter  do  they  begin  ? 
With  what  mark  do  they  end  ? 
Write  five  sentences  giving  commands. 

XXX 

PICTURES  IN   VERSE 
Capitals  in  Writing  Poetry,  God  and  the  Bible,  I  and  0 

1 


Bead : 


The  birds  around  me  hopped  and  played, 
Their  thoughts  I  cannot  measure, 
But  the  least  motion  which  they  made, 
It  seemed  a  thrill  of  pleasure. 

The  budding  twigs  spread  out  their  fan 

To  catch  the  breezy  air  ; 

And  I  must  think,  do  all  I  can, 

That  there  was  pleasure  there.  Wordsworth. 


74  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

A  wind  came  up  out  of  the  sea, 
And  said,  "  O  mists,  make  room  for  me." 
.     It  touched  the  wood-bird's  folded  wing, 
And  said,  "  O  bird,  awake  and  sing." 

Longfellow. 

I  have  a  little  shadow,  that  goes  in  and  out  with  me, 
And  what  can  be  the  use  of  him  is  more  than  I  can  see. 
He  is  very,  very  like  me,  from  the  heels  up  to  the  head; 
And  I  see  him  jump  before  me,  when  I  jump  into  bed. 

Stevenson. 

Each  of  these  little  poems  is  a  picture.  Read  it 
over  carefully,  then  shut  your  eyes  and  try  to  see 
the  picture.     Describe  it. 

Memorize  the  verses  you  like  best. 

Where  are  capitals  used  in  these  verses  ? 

Let  each  pupil  make  a  rule  for  the  use  of  capital 
letters  in  poetry. 

Read  the  rules  to  the  class. 

Copy  in  your  notebook  the  one  your  teacher  says 
is  correct. 

What  rules  have  you  already  made  or  learned 
about  capital  letters  ? 

2 

Capitals  in  Writing  God  and  the  Bihle^  I  and  0 

There  are  two  words  used  often  in  these  verses, 
each  of  one  letter  only,  and  they  are  always  written 
in  capitals.     Find  and  copy  them. 


BOOK   ONE  75 

Write  a  rule  about  them  in  vour  notebook. 
How  many  uses  for  capitals  do  you  know  ? 

1.  'Twas  God  who  made  the  sun  so  bright, 
And  all  the  stars  that  shine  by  niglit. 

2.  In  the  Bible  we  read  about  God. 

Do  you  know  why  the  word  "  God  "  is  written 
with  a  capital  ? 

This  word  is  always  written  with  a  capital. 

In  2,  what  words  besides  the  first  one  begin  witli 
capital  letters  ? 

Write  in  your  notebooks : 

The  first  word  of  every  line  of  poetry  begins  with  a 
capital. 

All  names  of  God  begin  with  capitals. 
The  word  Bible  begins  with  a  capital. 
The  words  /  and  0  are  always  written  as  capitals. 

XXXI 

CHRISTMAS 

Study  of  a  Poem  —  Letters 

1 
Conversation : 

What  do  you  do  to  get  ready  for  Christmas  ? 

Have  you  ever  made  Christmas  gifts  ?  Tell  for 
whom  you  made  them,  how  you  made  them,  of 
what  you  made  them,  and  how  you  gave  them. 

Do  you  think  they  gave  happiness  ? 


76  ENOLISH   LESSONS 

Why  do  we  give  gifts  ? 

Can  you  think  of  something  that  your  class  can 
do  to  make  children  less  fortunate  than  you  happy 
on  Christmas  Day  ? 

Do  you  know  of  any  good  Christmas  games  ? 

Tell  how  to  play  them. 


Old  Christmas 
Study : 

Now  he  who  knows  old  Christmas, 
He  knows  a  carle  of  worth; 
For  he  is  as  good  a  fellow 
As  any  upon  earth. 

He  comes  warm  cloaked  and  coated, 
And  buttoned  up  to  the  chin, 
And  soon  as  he  comes  anigh  the  door 
We  open  and  let  him  in. 

We  know  that  he  will  not  fail  us. 
So  we  sweep  the  hearth  up  clean  ; 
We  set  him  in  the  old  armchair, 
And  a  cushion  whereon  to  lean. 

And  with  sprigs  of  holly  and  ivy 
We  make  the  house  look  gay, 
Just  out  of  an  old  regard  to  him, 
For  it  was  his  ancient  way. 

He  must  be  a  rich  old  fellow : 
What  money  he  gives  away  I 


BOOK   ONE  77 

There  is  not  a  lord  in  England 
Could  equal  him  any  day. 

Good  luck  unto  old  Christmas, 
And  long  life,  let  us  sing, 
For  he  doth  more  good  unto  the  poor 
Than  many  a  crowned  king  ! 

Mary  Howitt. 

What  is  a  "  carle  "  ? 

Is  Christmas  spoken  of  as  a  person  ? 

Why  is  he  called  a  "  good  fellow  "  ? 

Why  does  he  come  "  warm  cloaked  "  and  "  but- 
toned up  to  the  chin  "  ? 

How  do  we  show  that  we  are  glad  to  see  him  ? 

How  does  he  do  good  to  the  poor? 

What  does  the  description  of  "  Old  Christmas  " 
make  you  think  of  ? 

3 

Letters 
Written  Exercise  : 

Write  one  of  the  following : 

An  invitation  to  some  friend  to  go  on  a  Christmas 
sleighing  party  with  you. 

A  letter  to  your  sister,  thanking  her  for  the  gift 
which  you  received. 

An  invitation  to  some  friend  to  spend  Christmas 
Day  with  you. 

A  reply  to  an  invitation  to  a  party. 


78  ENGLISH   LESSONS 


To  A  Fir  Tree 

Study  and  memorize  : 

O  Fir  Tree  green !   O  Fir  Tree  green  ! 

Your  leaves  are  constant  ever, 

Not  only  in  the  summer  time, 

But  through  the  winter's  snow  and  rime 

You're  fresh  and  green  forever. 

0  Fir  Tree  green!   O  Fir  Tree  green  I 

1  still  shall  love  you  dearly! 
How  oft  to  me  on  Christmas  night 
Your  laden  boughs  have  brought  delight. 

0  Fir  Tree  green!   O  Fir  Tree  green  I 

1  still  shall  love  you  dearly.        From  the  German. 

Did  you  ever  see  a  fir  tree  ? 

How  does  it  look  ? 

Why  are  its  leaves  called  "  constant "? 

What  is  rime  ? 

Why  does  the  poet  love  the  fir  tree  ? 

With  what  kind  of  letter  does  each  line  of  the 
above  poem  begin  ?     Why  ? 

What  words  of  one  letter  do  you  find  in  this 
poem  ?     How  are  they  written  ? 

5 

Review 
Good  Usage : 

Find  in  the  poem  "  Old  Christmas  '*  two  lines  in 
which  comes  is  used. 


BOOK   ONE  79 

Change  them  so  as  to  tell  what  happened  on 
some  past  Christmas. 

Find  a  line  in  which  glms  is  used. 

Change  it  as  you  did  the  other  lines. 

In  the  third  line  of  the  last  stanza,  doth  means 
the  same  as  does.  Change  this  line  as  you  changed 
the  others. 

Change  each  of  the  lines  again,  putting  in  has. 

Kead  aloud  all  the  sentences  as  you  have  changed 

xhem. 

Sit  —  Sat  —  Set 
Good  Usage : 

1.  We  set  liim  ia  the  old  armchair. 

2.  He  sits  in  the  old  armchair. 

3.  He  sat  in  the  old  armchair. 

Which  of  the  words  in  italics  means  placed  ? 

Which  of  the  others  tells  what  some  one  is  doing 
now  ?  what  he  did  at  some  time  in  the  past  ? 

When  you  mean  put,  or  place,  use  set. 

Otherwise,  use  sit  to  tell  what  you  do  now  and 
sat  to  tell  what  you  have  already  done. 

Conversation : 

Remember  to  use  complete  sentences. 

Who  sits  in  front  of  you  ? 

Who  sits  at  your  right  ?     Who  sits  at  your  left  ? 

Who  sits  nearest  the  window  ? 

Where  does  your  teacher  sit  ? 

Where  does  the  cat  like  to  sit  ? 


80  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Do  dogs  like  to  sit  by  the  fire  ? 

You  may  change  seats. 

Where  did  you  sit  just  now  ? 

Who  sat  in  front  of  you  ? 

Who  sat  behind  you  ? 

Who  sat  at  your  right  ?  at  your  left  ? 

Where  did  you  sit  when  you  went  to  a  picnic  ? 

Where  have  you  sat  at  the  beach  ? 

One  of  the  girls  may  set  my  chair  in  place  and 
tell  me  what  she  has  done. 

You  may  all  tell  what  she  has  done. 

Each  of  you  may  make  a  sentence  containing 
set.     Remember  that  it  means  to  place. 

You  may  each  make  a  sentence  containing  sat, 

XXXII 

SENTENCES   THAT   EXCLAIM 

While  the  new  years  come  and  the  old  years  go, 
How,  little  by  little,  all  things  grow! 

LuELLA  Clark. 

Pretty  moon,  pretty  moon, 
How  you  shine  on  the  door 
And  make  it  all  bright 
On  my  nursery  floor! 

How  far  that  little  candle  throws  his  beams! 

Do  these  sentences  make  statements  ?  Do  they 
ask  questions  ?     Do  they  give  orders  ? 


BOOK   ONE  81 

What  do  they  do  ? 

What  three  things  have  we  learned  that  sen- 
tences do  ?     Here  is  a  fourth  : 

Sentences  may  express  strong  feeling,  as  surprise  or 
wonder.  When  so  used  they  begin  with  a  capital  and 
are  followed  by  an  exclamation  mark(!). 

Find  in  your  reader  five  sentences  that  express 
surprise. 

Write  five  sentences  that  express  surprise. 

XXXIII 

NEW   YEAR'S   DAY,  JANUARY  1 

Writing  Dates 

1 

A  New  Year  Song 


Memorize 


There's  a  New  Year  coming,  coming, 

Out  of  some  beautiful  sphere, 

His  baby  eyes  bright 

With  hope  and  delight, 

We  welcome  you,  Happy  New  Year, 

There's  an  Old  Year  going,  going. 
Away  in  the  winter  drear ; 
His  beard  is  like  snow 
And  his  footsteps  are  slow  : 
Good-by  to  you,  weary  Old  Year  ! 


82  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

There  is  always  a  New  Year  coming, 

There  is  always  an  Old  Year  to  go, 

And  never  a  tear 

Drops  the  Happy  New  Year 

As  he  scatters  his  gifts  on  the  snow. 

Lucy  Larcom. 

By  permission  of  Houghton,  Mifflin  and  Company. 

2 

The  New  Year 

Writing  Dates 

What  year  is  it  ? 

What  month  is  it  ? 

What  day  of  the  month  is  it  ? 

What  day  of  the  week  is  it  ? 

The  year  that  this  was  written  was  nineteen  hun- 
dred six,  the  month  was  March,  the  day  was 
Saturday,  the  tenth. 

It  is  written,  Saturday,  March  10,  1906. 

Write  the  date  upon  which  you  are  studying  this 
lesson,  being  careful  to  use  punctuation  marks 
and  capital  letters  just  as  they  are  used  in  the 
date  above. 

Why  are  capitals  used  here  ? 

Write  in  your  blank  book  a  rule  about  this  use 
of  capitals. 

Copy  in  your  notebooks,  filling  in  the  dates : 

Christmas  came  December  25,  19 — . 

I  was  born . 


BOOK   ONE  83 


Gio  —  Went  —  Gone 

Good  Usage : 

The  Old  Year  goes  and  the  New  Year  comes. 
The  Old  Year  went  and  the  New  Year  came. 
The  Old  Year  has  gone  and  the  New  Year  has  come. 

What  word  in  the  first  sentence  makes  the  state- 
ment about  the  Old  Year?  What  word  in  the 
second  sentence?  What  two  words  in  the  third 
sentence  ? 

When  do  we  say  weyit  f 

When  do  we  say  gone  f 

What  words  make  statements  about  the  New 
Year? 

Tell  how  we  use  these  words. 

Conversation : 

How  many  months  of  this  year  have  gone  ? 
What  are  the  vacation  months  ? 
Where  did  you  go  last  vacation  ? 
Have  you  ever  gone  to  the  mountains  ? 
Have  you  ever  gone  to  the  seashore  ? 
When  did  you  go  to  these  places  ? 

Oral  Exercise : 

In  this  story,  change  the  words  that  make  state- 
ments so  that  they  will  tell   what   happened    on 


84  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

some  past  day.  Then  change  them,  using  has  or 
have;  be  careful  to  use  the  right  words  with  has 
or  have. 

Kead  the  story  aloud  before  changing  it  and 
afterwards. 

THE   STORY   OF  A  DAY 

The  darkness  goes  away.  The  sun  comes  up.  The 
men  go  to  their  work.  The  children  go  to  school. 
Noon  comes.  The  cliildren  go  out  to  play.  Then 
they  go  in  to  study.     So  the  day  goes  by. 

The  children  go  home  from  school.  The  men  come 
from  their  work.  The  sun  goes  down.  The  birds  go 
to  their  nests.  The  stars  come  out.  The  moon  comes 
up.  The  children  go  to  their  beds.  All  the  world 
goes  to  sleep. 

What  does  the  first  paragraph  tell  about  ? 
What  does  the  second  paragraph  tell  about  ? 
Would  it  be  as  well  to  tell  the  whole  story  in 
one  paragraph  ? 

XXXIV 

1 

Seasons  —  Days  —  Months  —  Abbreviations 

How  many  days  are  there  in  this  month  ? 
How  many  were  there  in  last  month  ? 
How  many  will  there  be  in  the  next  month  ? 
How  many  months  are  there  in  the  year  ? 


BOOK   ONE 


85 


Which  is  the  first  one  ? 

Write  the  names  of  all  the  months  in  a  column. 

With  what  kind  of  letter  do  they  all  begin  ? 

Because  the  names  of  some  of  the  months  are 
long,  we  often  write  them  in  a  shorter  way,  or 
abbreviate  them. 


Oopy  in  your  blank  hooks : 

January      .     .     Jan. 

July 

February     .     .     Feb. 

August 

Aug 

March    .     .     .     Mar. 

September  .     . 

Sept 

April       .    .     .     Apr. 

October      .     , 

Oct. 

May 

November  . 

.     Nov 

June 

December    . 

Dec. 

What  mark  is  used  after  the  abbreviations  f 

Make  a  rule  and  copy  it  in  your  blank  book. 

Which  are  the  months  whose  names  are  not 
abbreviated  ?     Why  are  they  written  in  full  ? 

Write  the  names  of  all  the  holidays  in  the  year, 
giving  the  month  and  day. 

In  writing,  begin  the  names  of  all  holidays  with  cap- 
ital letters. 


Expressive  Activities  : 

Make  a  calendar  for  the  new  year.  Letter  it 
carefully  and  mount  it  on  an  ornamental  back- 
ground. 


86  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

2 
■  Marjorie's  Almanac 

The  Seasons 


Read  in  class : 


Robins  in  the  tree  top, 

Blossoms  in  the  grass, 
Green  things  a-growing 

Everywhere  you  pass ; 
Sudden  little  breezes. 

Showers  of  silver  dew. 
Black  bough  and  bent  twig 

Budding  out  anew ; 
Pine  tree  and  willow  tree, 

Fringed  elm  and  larch  — 
Don't  you  think  that  May-time's 

Pleasanter  than  March  ? 

Apples  in  the  orchard 

Mellowing  one  by  one, 
Strawberries  upturning 

Soft  cheeks  to  the  sun  ; 
Roses  faint  with  sweetness, 

Lilies  fair  of  face, 
Drowsy  scents  and  murmurs 

Haunting  every  place ; 
Lengths  of  golden  sunshine. 

Moonlight  bright  as  day  — 
Don't  you  think  that  summer's 

Pleasanter  than  May  ? 
♦  *  ♦  *  * 


BOOK   ONE  87 

Little  fairy  snowfiakes 

Dancing  in  the  flue  ; 
Old  Mr.  Santa  Claus, 

What  is  keeping  you  ? 
Twilight  and  firelight, 

Shadows  come  and  go, 
Merry  chimes  of  sleigh  bells 

Tinkling  through  the  snow  ; 
Mother  knitting  stockings, 

(Pussy's  got  the  ball)  — 
Don't  you  think  that  winter's 

Pleasanter  than  all  ? 

Thomas  Bailey  Aldkich. 

By  permission  of  Houghton,  MiflRin  and  Company. 

Conversation  : 

Talk  about  tbe  poem  in  class. 

Name  tbe  season  that  you  like  best. 

Memorize  the  stanza  of  the  poem  that  you  like 
best. 

Which  of  the  seasons  is  not  mentioned  in  the 
poem  ? 

Name  the  four  seasons. 

What  months  belong  to  each  ? 

Written  Exercise  : 

Write  the  names  of  the  seasons  and  opposite  each 
the  names  of  its  months. 

Copy  in  your  notebooks  : 

The  names  of  the  seasons  do  not  begin  with  capitals 
except  at  the  beginning  of  a  sentence  or  of  a  line  of 
poetry. 


88  ENGLISH    LESSONS 

3 
The  Days 

Write  in  a  column  the  names  of  the  days. 

Write  opposite  each  its  abbreviation. 

Each  of  these  names  has  a  meaning. 

Sunday  is  the  sun's  day ;  Monday  is  the  moon's 
day.  See  if  you  can  find  out  the  meaning  and  the 
story  of  the  names  of  each  of  the  days. 

XXXV 

THE  SHEPHERD  BOY  AND  THE   WOLF 
1 

Reproduction  —  Writing  a  Story 
Read  silently  : 

A  shepherd  boy  kept  his  flock  a  Uttle  way  from  a 
village.  He  used  to  amuse  himself  by  calling  out 
loudly,  "  Wolf  !  Wolf  !  The  wolves  are  among  my 
lambs."  Twice,  thrice,  the  villagers  were  startled  and 
ran  to  aid  him,  only  to  find  that  there  were  no  wolves 
and  to  be  laughed  at  for  their  pains. 

At  length  the  wolves  really  did  come  and  attack  the 
flock.  The  boy  ran  toward  the  village,  crying,  "  Wolf  ! 
Wolf  I  The  wolves  are  among  my  lambs."  But  the 
villagers  thought  it  was  the  same  old  joke  and  refused 
to  go  to  his  aid.     So  he  lost  all  his  flock. 

Tell  the  story  in  class. 


BOOK   ONE  89 

Conversation  : 

What  does  the  story  mean  ? 
What  do  you  think  of  the  boy  ? 
Do  you  think  the  townspeople  did  right  in  not 
going  to  help  him  when  the  wolves  came  ? 

Written  Exercise  : 

Write  answers  to  the  above  questions,  in  good 
sentences. 

Expressive  Activities  : 

Choose  characters.  Let  one  be  the  boy,  one  the 
wolf,  several  the  village  people,  and  some  the  sheep 
and  lambs.     Then  act  the  story. 


Review 
Good  Usage : 

Find  is,  are,  ivas,  and  ivere  in  the  story  of  "  The 
Shepherd  Boy  and  the  Wolf,"  and  tell  why  each  of 
these  words  is  used. 

Find  ran,  and  tell  why  it  is  used  instead  of  run. 

In  "  At  length  the  w^olves  really  did  come," 
what  single  word  might  be  used  instead  of  "did 
come  "  ? 

Oral  Exercise : 

Change  the  words  in  italics  so  as  to  tell  what 
happened  at  some  time  in  the  past.  Then  change 
them  so  as  to  use  has  or  have. 


90  ENGLISH    LESSONS 

Read  the  sentences  aloud. 

The  shepherd  boy  sees  the  wolves  coming.  He  goes 
to  the  village  for  help.  The  villagers  give  him  no  aid. 
They  do  nothing  but  laugh  at  him.  The  wolves  steal 
and  eat  all  his  sheep. 

XXXVI 

TOLLING  THE  BELL 

Study  of  the  picture  : 

Where  are  the  children  ?  What  are  they  doing  ? 
Why  is  the  child  tolling  the  bell  ?  Who  has  come 
to  see  ?  What  has  he  in  his  hand  ?  Is  he  sorry 
too?  Tell  about  a  pet  bird  that  you  know.  Write 
a  paragraph  about  the  picture. 

XXXVII 

REVIEW 

Write  answers  to  the  following  questions,  from 
memory  if  you  can.  If  you  cannot  remember 
them  all,  consult  your  notebook,  or  see  the  rules  on 
pages  118  and  119  of  this  book. 

What  four  things  do  sentences  do  ? 

What  mark  follows  each  kind  of  sentence  ? 

Where  should  you  use  capital  letters  ? 

Where  should  you  use  each  of  these  marks  ? 


BOOK   ONE 


91 


92  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

XXXVIII 
SAINT  VALENTINE 

Oral  and  Written  Reproduction 

Mead  : 

St.  Valentine  was  a  good  priest  who  lived  in  Rome 
many,  many  years  ago.  He  was  a  martyr  who  suffered 
death  because  he  would  not  give  up  his  religion  and 
worship  the  gods  that  the  Romans  worshiped. 

We  know  little  about  him,  but  this  story  is  told  as 
the  reason  why  his  day  is  celebrated  by  sending  letters 
and  messages  of  love  to  friends. 

St.  Valentine's  whole  life  was  given  to  making  other 
people  happier.  He  used  to  go  about  from  house  to 
house  among  his  friends,  and  wherever  there  were  sick 
or  sorrowing  his  visit  was  like  a  ray  of  light  on  a 
gloomy  day.  He  fed  the  poor,  cheered  the  sad,  com- 
forted the  sick.  Especially  did  this  good  man  love  the 
children,  who  flocked  about  him  wherever  he  went. 

At  length  the  good  Valentine  became  old  and  too 
feeble  to  make  his  visits.  "  Alas  !  "  he  said  to  himself, 
"  I  am  now  of  no  use.  I  can  no  longer  go  and  visit  my 
poor  friends." 

Then  he  thought,  "  I  can  at  least  write  them  letters. 
Perhaps  they  may  do  a  little  good." 

So  whenever  he  heard  of  any  in  need  or  in  sorrow, 
he  would  send  a  letter  full  of  love  and  good  cheer,  until 
the  people  came  to  look  forward  to  these  letters,  as  one 
awake  and  suffering  longs  for  the  daylight. 

When  a  letter  came,  even  the  children  would  cry, 
"  Here  is  a  letter  from  the  good  Father." 

After  the  brave  priest  had  lost  his  life  for  his  reli- 


BOOK   ONE  93 

gion,  the  people  said  to  one  another,  "  Let  us  in  honor 
of  our  dear  saint  send  letters  on  his  day  to  those  we 
love."     And  they  did  so. 

These  letters  were  called  valentine  letters,  and  later 
valentines. 

Conversation: 

Tell  this  story,  using  the  following  outline  : 

Who  St.  Valentine  was. 

Where  he  lived. 

How  he  died. 

What  we  know  of  him. 

What  story  is  told  of  him. 

His  visits. 

How  he  was  welcomed. 

Why  he  gave  them  up. 

What  he  did  in  place  of  them. 

What  the  people  did  in  his  honor. 

Valentines  —  what  they  are. 

To  whom  they  are  sent. 

Written  Exercise : 

Let  each  write  the  story,  using  the  outline  given 
above. 

Divide  it  into  paragraphs. 

Compare  the  stories  that  have  been  w^ritten. 

Copy  the  best  one  on  the  blackboard. 

Compare  this  one  with  your  own. 

Correct  your  story  from  the  one  on  the  blackboard. 


94  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

XXXIX 

VALENTINE'S   DAY 

Review  —  Writing  Names 

Conversation  : 

Ask   one  another  questions  on  the  making  or 
buying  and  sending  of  valentines. 
Answer  them  in  good  sentences. 

Written  Exercise  : 

Write  the  name  of  the  valentine  month. 

Write  the  name  of  the  day  of  the  week  that  it 
falls  on  this  year. 

Write  the  name  of  some  friend  to  whom  you 
would  like  to  send  a  valentine. 

Write  the  name  of  the  city  in  which  your  friend 
lives. 

Write  answers  to  the  following  questions  : 

With  what  kind  of  letter  does  the  name  of  your 
friend  begin  ? 

With  what  does  the  name  of  the  city  begin  ? 

With  what  does  the  name  of  the  month  begin  ? 

With  what  does  the  name  of  the  day  of  the  week 
begin  ? 

Write  a  sentence  telling  the  day  of  the  week, 
the  day  of  the  month,  and  the  name  of  the  month 
in  which  Saint  Valentine's  Day  comes. 


BOOK   ONE  95 

XL 
HISTORY   AND   GEOGRAPHY 

G-eneral  Itevletv 
To  the  Teacher :   See  note  D,  page  324. 

1 

Henry  Hudson 
Conversation  : 

Discuss  in  class  who  Henry  Hudson  was,  where 
he  lived,  how  he  happened  to  sail  with  a  crew  of 
Dutchmen. 

Tell  about  his  last  voyage. 

What  waters  are  named  for  him  ? 

Ask  one  another  other  questions  and  answ^er 
them. 

Written  Exercise  : 

Write  sentences  about  Henry  Hudson,  answering 
the  questions  asked,  and  telling  all  you  have  found 
out  in  the  conversations  with  your  teacher  and 
the  class. 

Select  a  topic  and  let  each  pupil  wa^ite  a  para- 
graph about  it  on  the  blackboard. 

Compare  your  paragraphs. 

Make  a  new  paragraph  together  and  copy  it. 


96  ENGLISH   LESSONS 


The  "  Half-Moon  " 
Conversation  : 

Tell  all  you  can  about  the  Half-Moon, 

What  was  its  size  compared  with  some-  boat  3^ou 
have  seen  ? 

What  w^as  it  made  of  ?     Was  it  a  steamboat  ? 

What  was  it  loaded  with  ? 

Tell  about  its  crew  —  how  they  looked,  what 
language  they  spoke. 

Expressive  Activities  : 

Find  a  picture  of  the  Half-Moon  and  make  a 
boat  like  the  picture ;  cut  out  masts  and  make 
sails,  and  fit  them  all  together. 

3 

The  Voyage 
Conversation  : 

Where  did  Hudson  and  his  crew  plan  to  go  ? 

How  long  were  they  to  be  away  ? 

Tell  about  the  parting  of  the  crew  with  their 
friends  as  you  think  it  must  have  been. 

Tell  what  you  think  the  sailors  did  on  this  long 
journey. 

Describe  a  storm  that  they  met  at  sea. 

How  did  they  feel  when  they  first  saw  land  ? 


BOOK  ONE  97 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  sentences,  following  the  conversation  out- 
line. How  many  paragraphs  do  you  think  you 
should  make  ? 

Be  careful  to  write  evenly,  leaving  margins  and 
indenting  the  first  word  of  each  paragraph. 

XLI 

WINDS 

1 
Conversation  : 

Can  you  see  the  wind  ? 
How  do  you  know  that  there  is  wind  ? 
Mention  as  many   things  as   you   can  that  the 
wind  does. 

Mention  how  the  wind  is  useful  to  us. 
Mention  some  mischief  that  the  wind  does. 
How  does  the  wind  help  you  in  your  play  ? 
What  is  the  use  of  the  weather-vane  ? 

Written  Exercise  : 

Write  all  the  sentences  that  you  can  about  the 
wind. 

Arrange  these  sentences  in  groups  for  paragraphs. 
Write  the  paragraphs. 

2 

The  poet  Longfellow,  in  Hiawatha,  tells  us  a  story 
that  the  Indians  believed  about  each  one  of  the  winds. 


98  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Mudjekeewis,  a  noted  warrior,  had  slain  a  great 
bear  of  which  all  were  afraid.  As  his  reward,  he 
was  made  king  of  all  the  winds. 

Here  are  a  few  lines  of  each  of  the  stories.  Get 
the  poem,  if  you  can,  and  read  all  about  the  winds. 

The  Four  Winds 
The  West  Wind 


Read : 


Thus  was  Mudjekeewis  chosen 
Father  of  the  winds  of  Heaven. 
For  himself  he  kept  the  West-Wind, 
Gave  the  others  to  his  children  ; 
Unto  Wabun  gave  the  East- Wind, 
Gave  the  South  to  Shawondasee, 
And  the  North-Wind,  wild  and  cruel, 
To  the  fierce  Kabibonokka. 

The  East  Wind 

Young  and  beautiful  was  Wabun  ; 
He  it  was  who  brought  the  morning, 
He  it  was  whose  silver  arrows 
Chased  the  dark  o'er  hill  and  valley ; 
He  it  was  whose  cheeks  were  painted 
With  the  brightest  streaks  of  crimson, 
And  whose  voice  awoke  the  village. 
Called  the  deer,  and  called  the  hunter. 

The  North  Wind 

But  the  fierce  Kabibonokka 
Had  his  dwelling  among  icebergs. 
In  the  everlasting  snowdrifts. 


BOOK   ONE  99 

In  the  kingdom  of  Wabasso, 
In  the  land  of  the  White  Rabbit. 
He  it  was  whose  hand  in  autumn 
Painted  all  the  trees  with  scarlet, 
Stained  the  leaves  with  red  and  yellow  ; 
He  it  was  who  sent  the  snowflakes 
Sifting,  hissing  through  the  forest, 
Froze  the  ponds,  the  lakes,  the  rivers. 
Drove  the  loon  and  sea-gull  southward, 
Drove  the  cormorant  and  curlew 
To  their  nests  of  sedge  and  sea-tang 
In  the  realms  of  Shawondasee. 

The  South  Wind 

Shawondasee,  fat  and  lazy, 
Had  his  dwelling  to  the  southward, 
In  the  drowsy,  dreamy  sunshine, 
In  the  never  ending  summer. 
He  it  was  who  sent  the  wood  birds, 
Sent  the  robin,  the  Opechee, 
Sent  the  bluebird,  the  Owaissa, 
Sent  the  Shawshaw,  sent  the  swallow. 
Sent  the  wild  goose,  Wawa,  northward. 
Sent  the  melons  and  tobacco. 
Sent  the  grapes  in  purple  clusters. 

From  Longfellow's  Hiawatha. 


Conversation  : 


Tell  all  you  can  about  the  four  winds. 

Tell  what  each  brings  to  us. 

Tell  which  you  like  best ;  which  you  like  least. 

Have   you   seen   all   that   the  poet   tells  about 


100  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Wabun  ?     About  Kabibonokka  ?     About  Shawon- 
dasee  ? 

Do  you  think  the  west  wind  is  the  king  of  all 
the  winds  ?     Why  ? 

Written  Exercise  : 

Suggest  sentences  for  some  one  to  write  on  the 
blackboard,  telling  all  that  you  can  about  the  east 
wind. 

Make  a  paragraph  of  the  best  of  these  sentences. 

In  the  same  way  make  a  paragraph  about  the 
north  wind. 

Write  a  paragraph  about  the  south  wind. 

Read  your  paragraph  to  the  class. 

Expressive  Activities  : 

Make  something  that  the  wind  moves,  such  as 
a  paper  wind-wheel  or  a  kite. 

Tell  in  good  sentences  how  you  made  it. 


The  Wind 

Commit  to  memory  : 

I  saw  you  toss  the  kites  on  high 
And  blow  the  birds  about  the  sky ; 
And  all  around  I  heard  you  pass, 
Like  ladies'  skirts  across  the  grass - 
O  wind,  a-blowing  all  day  long, 
O  wind,  that  sings  so  loud  a  song  ! 


BOOK  ONE  '  '      '     101 

I  saw  the  different  things  you  did, 
But  always  you  yourself  you  hid. 
I  felt  you  push,  I  heard  you  call, 
I  could  not  see  yourself  at  all  — 
O  wind,  a-blowing  all  day  long, 
O  wind,  that  sings  so  loud  a  song  ! 

O  you,  that  are  so  strong  and  cold, 
O  blower,  are  you  young  or  old  ? 
Are  you  a  beast  of  field  and  tree, 
Or  just  a  stronger  child  than  me  ? 
O  wind,  a-blowing  all  day  long, 
O  wind,  that  sings  so  loud  a  song  ! 

Robert  l^ouis  Stevenson. 


Blow  —  Blew  —  Blown 
Good  Usage  : 

Read  these  sentences  : 

The  wind  blows  all  day  long. 
The  wind  blew  all  day  long. 
The  wind  has  blown  all  day  long. 

Tell  how  blow  is  used. 
Tell  how  blew  is  used. 
Tell  how  bloion  is  used. 

Oral  Exercise  : 

Change  these  sentences  so  that  they  will  tell  what 
happened  in  the  past.     Read  them  aloud. 

How  the  wind  blows  ! 

It  blows  so  hard  that  we  can't  fly  our  kites.. 


102  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

It  blows  the  leaves  from  the  trees. 

It  blows  dust  in  our  eyes. 

It  blows  the  hats  off  men's  heads. 

It  blows  the  clouds  across  the  sky. 

It  blows  the  rain  against  the  window. 

It  blows  against  the  ship's  sails. 

It  blows  harder  to-day  than  yesterday. 

Now  change  the  sentences  so  as  to  use  has. 
Write  some  of  your  sentences  on  the  blackboard. 

XLII 
RAINBOW  COLORS 

Review  of  Sentences 


Guess  what  I  am : 

I  am  round. 
I  cannot  roll  very  far. 
I  can  float  in  the  air. 
The  children  love  to  play  with  me. 
Sometimes  I  show  the  colors  of  the  rainbow. 
I  am  clear  like  glass. 

I  am  sometimes  small,  and  sometimes  large. 
When  I  break,  j^ou  cannot  find  the  pieces. 
All  children    can  make  me. 
Four  things  should  be  used  to  make  me. 
One  of  them  is  made  of  clay. 
It  costs  one  cent. 

If  you  cannot  guess  what  I  am,  read  the  recipe  in 
the  next  section  and  it  will  tell  you  how  to  make  me. 


BOOK   ONE  103 

2 
Recipe  for  Soap  Bubbles 
Review  of  Kinds  of  Sentences 

Make  a  suds  of  lukewarm  Avater  and  castile  soap. 
Add  a  few  drops  of  glycerine  to  the  water  to  give  the 
bubbles  beautiful  colors.     Blow  with  a  clay  pipe. 

Make  the  bubbles  at  recess. 

How  many  sentences  are  there  in  this  recipe  ? 

To  which  of  the  four  kinds  of  sentences  that  you 
have  learned  about  do  they  belong  ? 

Write  five  sentences  of  each  kind. 

If  you  have  ever  made  soap  bubbles,  tell  how 
you  made  them  and  when  you  made  them,  what 
colors  you  can  see  in  your  soap  bubbles,  and  where 
else  you  have  seen  the  same  colors. 

Write  the  names  of  the  colors  found  in  the 
rainbow. 

3 
The  Rainbow 

Commit  to  memory  : 

There  are  bridges  on  the  rivers 

As  pretty  as  you  please; 
But  the  bow  that  bridges  heaven 

And  overtops  the  trees, 
And  builds  a  road  from  earth  to  sky, 

Is  prettier  far  than  these. 

Christina  Rossetti. 


104  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Ask  your  teacher  to  tell  you  the  story  of  Iris 
or  some  other  rainbow  story. 

XLIII 
SPRING 

Personification 

1 

Springtime 
Read : 

A  Mouse,  a  Cricket,  and  Bumblebee 
Started  out  in  the  sweet  spring  weather. 

"  Let  us  all  agree," 

Said  the  Bumblebee, 
"To  build  us  a  house  and  live  together." 

"  I'm  willing  to  try," 

Said  the  Cricket  spry. 
Said  dear  little  Mousie,  "  So  am  I." 

"  Under  the  porch,  away  down  low;" 
The  Cricket  chirruped  in  rare  delight, 

"  Is  the  place,  I  know, 

For  us  all  to  go ; 
There's  not  the  tiniest  ray  of  light ! 

"  We'll  hide  away 

From  the  dazzling  day 
And  chirrup  and  buzz  and  squeak  all  night." 

Said  the  Mouse  :  "  O  dear, 

I  fear,  I  fear 
Such  a  place  would  be  so  dark  and  drear  !  " 


BOOK   ONE  105 

"  Away,  'way  up  in  the  elm  tree  high," 
Said  the  Bumblebee,  "  is  a  cozy  nook, 
In  the  early  light 
Of  the  morning  bright 
A  royal  place.  Let  us  go  and  look." 
Said  the  Cricket :  "  Why, 
As  I  cannot  fly, 
I  never  could  think  of  going  so  high." 

Said  Mistress  Mouse  :  "  The  finest  spot 
Is  out  in  the  field  of  growing  wheat. 

We'll  build  a  dot 

Of  a  nest  —  why  not  ?  — 
Convenient,  cozy,  and  snug  and  sweet." 

Said  the  Bumblebee : 

"  Dear  me,  dear  me  ! 
Such  a  house  would  never  do  for  three." 

Well,  Mistress  Mouse 

Built  a  wee,  wee  house 
And  cuddled  under  the  sun-warmed  hay. 

The  Bumblebee 

From  his  hole  in  the  tree 
Buzzed  and  hummed  through  the  sunny  day. 

While  the  Cricket  stole 

To  the  darkest  hole 
And  chirruped  till  morning's  earliest  ray. 
And  though  they  never  could  live  together, 
All  rejoiced  in  the  sweet  spring  weather. 

Sydney  Daykk. 


106  ENGLISH    LESSONS 

Conversation  : 

What  did  the  Mouse,  the  Cricket,  and  the  Bum- 
blebee plan  to  do  ? 

Why  could  they  not  carry  out  their  plan  ? 

Describe  the  home  that  the  Cricket  liked. 

Describe  the  home  that  the  Bumblebee  liked. 

Describe  the  home  that  the  Mouse  liked. 

What  did  they  finally  do  ? 

Were  they  happy  ?     How  do  you  know  ? 

What  words  describe  the  voices  of  the  Mouse, 
the  Cricket,  and  the  Bumblebee  ? 

Do  you  think  they  are  good  words  to  use  ? 

Personification 

Notice  that  in  this  poem  the  words  Mousey 
Criokety  and  Bumblebee  begin  with  capital  letters. 

Can  you  tell  why  ? 

Remember  that  all  names  of  persons,  when  writ- 
ten, begin  with  capitals. 

These  little  animals  are  not  people,  yet  in  the 
poem  they  talk  and  act  like  people. 

When  animals,  or  things  without  life,  are  written 
about  as  if  they  were  persons^  they  are  said  to  be 
per-son-i-fiedy  and  their  names  may  begin  with 
capitals  as  if  they  were  persons. 

Find  other  cases  of  personification  in  this  book 
or  other  books 

To  the  Teacher:  Names  of  objects  addressed  with  titles  or  viv- 
idly personified  are  usually  capitalized.     There  is  no  invariable  rule. 


BOOK  ONE  107 


Spring :  the  Awakening 
Conversation : 

What  are  the  spring  months  ? 

Tell  all  you  can  about  spring. 

What  changes  happen  to  the  ground,  to  the 
streams,  to  the  grass,  to  the  trees,  to  the  animals  ? 
Why  do  you  like  spring  ? 

What  games  do  you  play  in  spring  ? 

Why  do  we  speak  of  spring  as  the  time  of 
awakening  ? 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  answers  to  the  above  questions. 
Arrange  the  answers  carefully  in  paragraphs. 

3 

Spring :   the  Planting 
Conversation : 

What  do  the  farmers  and  the  gardeners  do  in 
the  spring  ? 

Did  you  ever  plant  seeds  ? 

How  is  the  ground  made  ready  for  planting  ? 

Tell  all  the  ways  that  you  know  of  planting 
seeds. 

Describe  the  planting  of  some  seeds. 


108  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

XLIV 

TREES 

1 

An  Arbor  Day  Tree 

Read  and  %tudy : 

"  Dear  little  tree  that  we  plant  to-day, 
What  will  you  be  when  we're  old  and  gray?" 
"  The  savings  bank  of  the  squirrel  and  mouse, 
For  robin  and  wren  an  apartment  house. 
The  dressing  room  of  the  butterfly's  ball, 
The  locust's  and  katydid's  concert  hall ; 
The  schoolboy's  ladder  in  pleasant  June, 
The  schoolgirl's  tent  in  the  July  noon. 
And  my  leaves  shall  whisper  them  merrily 
A  tale  of  the  children  who  planted  me." 

Youth's  Companion, 

Conversation : 

Have  you  ever  planted  a  tree  ? 

Tell  where  and  when  you  planted  it. 

Tell  how  you  planted  it. 

Why  did  you  plant  it  ? 

Give  as  many  reasons  as  you  can  for  planting 
trees. 

Name  your  favorite  tree. 

Describe  it,  telling  how  it  looks,  where  it  grows, 
and  why  it  is  your  favorite  tree. 


BOOK   ONE  109 


What  do  we  Plant? 

Read  and  study  : 

What  do  we  plant  when  we  plant  a  tree  ? 
We  plant  the  ship  which  will  cross  the  sea. 
We  plant  the  masts  to  carry  the  sails  ; 
We  plant  the  plank  to  withstand  the  gales  ; 
The  keel,  the  keelson,  and  beam  and  knee  : 
We  plant  the  ship  when  we  plant  the  tree. 

What  do  we  plant  when  we  plant  the  tree  ? 
We  plant  the  house  for  you  and  me. 
We  plant  the  rafters,  the  shingles,  the  floors  ; 
We  plant  the  studding,  the  lath,  the  doors, 
The  beams  and  siding,  all  parts  that  be  : 
We  plant  the  house  when  we  plant  the  tree. 

What  do  we  plant  when  we  plant  the  tree  ? 
A  thousand  things  that  we  daily  see. 
We  plant  the  spire  that  out-towers  the  crag, 
We  plant  the  staff  for  our  country's  flag  ; 
We  plant  the  shade  from  the  hot  sun  free  : 
We  plant  all  these  when  we  plant  the  tree. 

Henry  Abbb:y. 

Study  this  poem,  stanza  by  stanza,  till  you  see 
all  the  things  that  it  says  the  tree  gives  us. 

Can  you  think  of  any  others  ? 

Tell  the  class  about  the  different  trees  in  your 
yard  at  home. 


110  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

XLV 

LETTERS 

1 
*Read: 

City  of  Mexico, 

February  12,  1848. 
My  dear  little  Agnes  : 

I  was  delighted  to  receive  your  letter,  and  to  find 
that  you  could  write  so  well.  But  how  could  you  say 
that  I  had  not  written  to  you  ?  Did  I  not  write  to  you 
and  Annie  ?  I  suppose  you  want  a  letter  all  to  your- 
self, so  here  is  one. 

There  is  a  nice  little  girl  here,  rather  smaller  than 
you  were  when  I  parted  from  you,  named  Charlottita, 
which  means  little  Charlotte,  who  is  a  great  favorite  of 
mine.  She  is  quite  fair,  with  blue  eyes  and  long  dark 
lashes,  and  has  her  hair  plaited  down  her  back.  She 
cannot  speak  English,  but  has  a  very  nimble  little 
tongue  and  jabbers  French  at  me. 

Last  Sunday  she  and  her  older  sister  came  to  the 
palace  to  see  me,  and  I  took  them  into  the  garden  I  told 
you  of,  and  got  them  some  flowers.  Afterwards  I  took 
them  to  see  the  Governor,  General  Smith,  and  showed 
them  the  rooms  in  the  palace,  some  of  which  are  very 
large,  with  pictures,  mirrors,  and  chandeliers. 

After  I  had  shown  Charlottita  and  her  sister  Isabel  all 
these  things,  she  said  she  wished  to  go  to  her  Mamarita, 
which  means  little  Mamma,  so  I  led  her  out  of  the 
palace.  She  is  always  dressed  very  nicely  when 
I  see  her,  and  keeps  her  clothes  very  clean ;  I  hope 
my  little  girls  keep  theirs  just  as  nice,  for  you  know 


BOOK   ONE  111 

I  cannot  bear  dirty  children.  You  must  therefore 
study  hard,  and  be  a  very  nice  girl,  and  do  not  forget 
your  papa,  who  thinks  constantly  of  you  and  longs  to 
see  you  more  than  he  can  tell. 

Write  to  me  soon  and  believe  me  always, 

Your  affectionate  father, 

R.  E.  Lee. 

Here  is  part  of  a  letter  written  by  General  Lee, 
when  in  Mexico,  to  his  little  daughter  at  home. 
Read  it  aloud  in  class. 
Tell  as  nearly  as  you  can  what  is  written  in  it. 


Where  was  this  letter  written  ? 

Copy  the  part  that  tells  you  this,  with  all  the 
marks  and  capital  letters. 

When  was  it  written  ?  Copy  the  part  that  tells 
you  this. 

Those  two  parts  that  tell  you  when  and  where 
a  letter  is  written  should  be  on  every  letter.  They 
are  usually  written  together,  as  in  this  letter. 

What  are  they  called  ? 

Copy  the  following  headings  carefully : 

1170  Broadway,  New  York, 
April  16,  1906. 

207  East  Ave.,  Wilton,  Conn., 

Rochester,  New  York,  March  9,  1855. 

Jan.   1,  1893. 


112  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Write  headings  for  a  letter  written  at  Saint  Paul, 
Minnesota,  on  July  nineteenth,  in  the  year  eighteen 
hundred  and  ninety-three,  and  for  one  written  at 
Los  Angeles,  California,  in  the  house,  number  four 
hundred  and  ninety-three.  Main  Street,  on  December 
twenty-eighth,  nineteen  hundred  and  four. 


To  whom  was  the  letter  (page  110)  written  ? 
Copy  the  words  that  tell  you  this. 
What  is  this  part  of  the  letter  called  ? 
Copy  these  salutations : 

My  dear  Father.  Dear  John.  My  dear  cousin 
Henry. 

Write  the  salutations  for  letters,  one  to  your 
cousin  and  one  to  your  mother. 

Who  wrote  the  letter  ? 

Where  is  the  name  written  ?     Copy  it. 

What  is  it  called  ? 

What  is  written  just  before  the  name?  Copy 
it. 

This  is  the  polite  or  friendly  ending,  or  closing 
phrase. 

Copy  these  endings  and  signatures : 

Your  affectionate  son, 

Charles. 


BOOK   ONE  113 

Your  loving  little  daughter, 

Emily  J.  Dean. 

Your  cousin, 

William  Clark. 

Yours  very  sincerely, 

Henry  Atterbury. 

Yours  truly, 

H.  F.  Jones. 

Write  endings  to  letters  to  your  mother,  your 
brother,  and  your  cousin. 


XLVI 

THE  FLAG 

Reproduction 

1 
Flag  Salute  : 

We  give  our  heads  and  our  hearts  to  God  and  our 
country;  one  country,  one  language,  one  flag. 

Make  a  list  of  all  the  days  in  the  year  when  we 
should  put  up  our  flags. 

Tell  why  you  think  our  flag  is  beautiful  and 
why  you  love  it. 

Write  a  letter  telling  about  the  raising  of  the  flag 
at  your  school  every  morning,  —  who  does  it,  how 
it  is  done,  and  the  salute. 


114  ENGLISH   LESSONS 


How  THE  Flag  was  Made 
Read  : 

Our  Country's  flag  !  How  beautiful  it  is,  with  its 
pure  white  stars  on  a  field  of  blue  and  its  thirteen 
stripes  of  white  and  red  ! 

When  this  old  flag  was  young,  it  had  but  thirteen 
stars.     How  many  stars  has  it  now  ? 

The  first  flag  was  made  by  a  woman  named  Betsy 
Ross,  whose  house  is  still  standing  on  Arch  Street, 
Philadelphia.  She  was  famous  for  skill  with  her 
needle. 

Washington  used  to  visit  her  often  when  he  was 
commander  in  chief  of  the  American  army. 

One  day  her  uncle.  Colonel  Ross,  came  with  Robert 
Morris  and  General  Washington  to  ask  her  if  she 
could  make  a  flag  after  the  pattern  which  they  had 
brought. 

"  I  don't  know  whether  I  can  or  not,"  said  she,  "  but 
I  will  try,  if  the  general  will  make  me  a  sketch  of  it 
here  in  my  parlor.  But  the  stars  must  be  made  with 
five  points  and  not  six." 

As  the  story  goes,  Miss  Ross  folded  a  slip  of  paper 
carefully  and  cut  the  pattern  of  a  five-pointed  star  with 
a  single  clip  of  her  scissors.  *'  There,  I  will  make  the 
stars  like  that,"  said  she. 

This  flag  was  accepted  and  adopted  by  Congress  on 
the  14th  of  June,  1777,  unfurled  for  the  first  time  in 
battle  at  Brandywine,  New  Jersey,  September  11,  and 
displayed  first  on  shipboard  by  Captain  Paul  Jones  on 
the  1st  of  November  of  the  same  year. 


BOOK   ONE  115 

Memorize : 

Red,  White,  and  Blue,  wave  on  ! 
Never  may  sire  or  son 

Thy  glory  mar. 
Sacred  to  liberty, 
Honored  on  land  and  sea, 
Unsoiled  forever  be, 

Each  stripe  and  star." 

Tell  the  story  of  Betsy  Ross  and  the  flag. 

XLVII 

THE   ROBIN 

1 
Observation : 

If  there  are  robins  in  your  neighborhood,  watch 
them  closely.     If  not,  watch  some  other  bird. 
Here  are  some  of  the  things  to  watch  for : 

The  first  appearance. 
Choice  of  place  to  build  a  nest. 
The  material  used  in  building. 
How  it  is  put  together. 
The  father-bird  and  his  work. 
The  mother-bird  and  her  work. 
The  little  birds,  how  they  look  and  how  they 
are  fed. 

How  fast  they  grow. 
How  they  learn  to  fly. 

To  the  Teacher:  If  this  lesson  coraes  at  the  wrong  season  of  the 
year,  omit  it  or  change  it. 


116  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Conversation : 

Talk  in  class  about  what  you  have  observed. 
Tell  all  that  you  can  about  your  birds. 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  a  letter  to  a  friend  who  is  interested  in 
birds,  telling  about  the  bird  you  have  studied. 

2 

I'll  Try 

Review  of  Punctuation 
Memorize : 

Two  robin  redbreasts  built  their  nest 

Within  a  hollow  tree  ; 
The  hen  sat  quietly  at  home, 

The  cock  sang  merrily  ; 
And  all  the  little  ones  said, 

"  Wee- wee  !  wee- wee  !  wee- wee  !  '* 

One  day  the  sun  was  warm  and  bright, 

And  shining  in  the  sky  ; 
Cock  Robin  said,  "  My  little  dears, 

'Tis  time  you  learned  to  fly." 
And  all  the  little  ones  said, 

"  ril  try  I  I'll  try  !  I'll  try  !  " 

I  know  a  child,  and  who  she  is 

I'll  tell  you  by  and  by  ; 
When  mamma  says,  "  Do  this,"  or  "  that," 

She  says,  "  What  for  ?  "  and  "  Why  ?  " 
She'd  be  a  better  child  by  far 

If  she  would  say,  "  I'll  try." 


BOOK   ONE  117 

Notice  where  these  marks  are  used  in  the  poem 
and  tell  why : 

What  does  "  I'll  "  mean  ?  What  letters  are  left 
out? 

When  a  word  is  shortened  or  contracted  in  this 
way,  the  mark  (')  is  used  where  the  letters  are  left 
out.     What  is  it  called  ? 

XLVIII 


A   GA]V1 

IE 

Some  Common  Contractions 

I'm  not           for 

I  am  not 

He  isn't         for 

He  is  not 

She  isn't         for 

She  is  not 

It  isn't            for 

It  is  not 

We're  not       for 

We  are  not 

You're  not     for 

You  are  not 

They're  not    for     They  are  not 

1.    Play  a  game  like  this  : 

Let  one  child  play  that  he  is  some  object,  and 
tell  what  kind  of  object.  Then  let  the  others  guess 
what  he  is ;  as, 

"I  am  something  made  of  wood." 
"Are  you  a  chair?" 
"  I'm  not  a  chair." 


118  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

"  Are  you  a  desk  ?  " 
"I'm  not  a  desk." 

And  so  on  until  the  right  guess  is  made. 

2.  Let  one  child  tell  another  what  object  he  has 
chosen  to  be,  and  let  the  other  answer  for  him, 

"He  isn't,"  etc. 

3.  Let  a  child  choose  some  object  and  say, 

"  I  am  thinking  of  something  small  and  round." 
Another  asks,  "  Ls  it  a  ring  ? " 
The  first  one  replies,  "  It  isn't  a  ring." 
And  so  on  until  the  object  is  named. 
Any  one  who  uses  "  ain't "  instead  of  the  proper 
contraction  must  drop  out  of  the  game. 


XLIX 
GENERAL   REVIEW 

Sentences  do  four  things  : 

1.  Sentences  make  statements. 

2.  Sentences  ask  questions. 

3.  Sentences  give  commands. 

4.  Sentences  exclaim. 

A  paragraph  is  made  of  one  or  more  sentences,  all 
speaking  about  the  same  thing. 


BOOK   ONE  119 

Periods  are  used  after  : 

Sentences  that  tell, 
Sentences  that  command, 
Dates, 
Abbreviations. 

Question  marks  are  used  after  questions. 
Exclamation  marks  are  used  after  words  or  sentences 
that  exclaim. 

Quotation  marks  are  used  to  inclose  a  direct  quotation. 

Capital  letters  are  used  to  begin  : 

All  sentences. 

All  headings  of  letters. 

All  names  of  persons,  places,  days,  and  months, 

All  lines  of  poetry. 

Names  of  things  personified. 

All  names  of  God  and  the  Bible,  /,  and  0, 

A  direct  quotation. 

The  heading  of  a  letter  tells  where  and  when  it  is 
written. 

The  salutation  tells  to  whom  it  is  written  and  usually 
contains  some  word  showing  affection  or  respect. 

The  signature  is  the  name  of  the  writer  placed  at  the 
end. 

The  closing  phrase  is  a  friendly  or  polite  phrase  placed 
before  the  signature. 

The  surname  is  the  name  of  the  family.  The  given 
name  is  the  name  of  a  particular  person. 

An  initial  is  the  first  letter  of  a  name.  It  is  always 
a  capital  letter,  and  is  followed  by  a  period. 


120  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

L 

THE  ARAB   AND   HIS  CAMEL 

The  Hyphen 
Read : 

One  cold  night  as  an  Arab  sat  in  his  tent  a  Camel 
gently  pushed  the  flap  of  the  tent  aside  and  looked  in. 

"  I  pray  thee,  master,"  he  said,  "  allow  me  to  put  my 
head  within  the  tent,  for  it  is  cold  without." 

"  By  all  means,  and  welcome,"  said  the  Arab,  cheer- 
fully, and  the  Camel,  moving  forward,  stretched  his 
head  into  the  tent. 

"  If  I  might  but  warm  my  neck  also,"  he  said  be- 
seechingly. 

"  Put  also  your  neck  inside,"  said  the  Arab. 

Presently  the  Camel  said  again,  "  I  will  take  but 
little  more  room  if  I  place  my  fore-legs  within  the 
tent." 

"  You  may  plant  also  your  fore-legs  within,"  said  the 
Arab,  moving  a  little  to  make  room,  for  the  tent  was 
very  small. 

"  May  I  not  stand  wholly  within  ?  "  asked  the  Camel, 
finally.     "I  keep  the  tent  open  by  standing  as  I  do." 

"Yes,  yes,"  said  the  Arab  ;  "  I  will  have  compassion 
on  you  as  well  as  on  myself.     Come  wholly  inside." 

So  the  Camel  moved  forward  and  crowded  into  the 
tent,  but  the  tent  was  too  small  for  both. 

"  I  think,"  said  the  Camel,  *'  that  there  is  not  room 
for  both  of  us  here.  It  will  be  best  for  you  to  stand 
outside,  as  you  are  the  smaller.  There  will  then  be 
room  enough  for  me,"  and  with  that,  he  pushed  the 
Arab  a  little,  who  made  haste  to  get  outside  the  tent. 


BOOK   ONE  121 

What  do  you  think  this  fable  teaches  ? 

Talk  it  over  in  class,  and  make  a  paragraph 
together  about  it. 

Tell  the  story,  each  pupil  telling  a  part. 

Write  the  story  from  memory,  being  careful  to 
use' quotation  marks  correctly. 

Count  the  quotations  in  the  story. 

Notice  the  mark  between  the  two  parts  oi  fore- 
legs in  lines  12  and  14  of  the  story.  It  is  called  a 
hyphen  and  is  often  used  between  the  parts  of  a 
word  that  is  made  up  of  two  or  more  words. 

Notice  also  the  hyphen  at  the  end  of  the  fifth 
line.  This  is  to  show  that  a  part  of  the  word 
cheerfully  is  placed  on  the  sixth  line. 

Find  other  hyphens  at  the  ends  of  lines. 

In  dividing  a  word  at  the  end  of  a  line,  always  make 
the  division  between  syllables. 

LI   . 
1 

Word  Study 

Study  the  following  words  : 

There,  know,  by,  same,  to,  meet,  red,  no,  buy, 
hear,  rise,  meal,  now,  see,  than,  four,  too,  road, 
their,  may,  own,  this,  here,  learn,  week,  five,  one, 

To  the  Teacher :  These  words  should  be  taken  up  in  brief  lessons, 
one  or  two  at  a  time.     They  will  bear  frequent  repetition. 


122  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

through,  for,  where,  set,  dear,  two,  sea,  won,  those, 
teach,  saw,  weak,  peace,  raise,  that,  can. 

Spell  these  words  from  your  teacher's  dictation. 
Learn  their  meanings.  Write  sentences,  using  these 
words  correctly. 

Group  together  those  words  which  are  pro- 
nounced alike,  and  distinguish  their  meanings. 


Grasshoppers  and  Crickets 

Report  of  a  Study  Excursion 

Tell  about  a  walk  through  a  field  where  you 
observed  the  habits  of  grasshoppers  and  crickets. 
Tell  how  you  found  out  where  they  live  ;  how  you 
caught  them  without  hurting  them ;  what  they 
were  doing  ;  what  they  were  eating ;  what  is  the 
best  time  to  catch  them. 

What  do  you  think  there  is  in  the  natures  of  a 
grasshopper  and  a  cricket  which  fits  them  for  their 
life  ?  How  do  they  move  ?  In  what  way  do  they 
protect  themselves  from  their  enemies  ? 

Are  grasshoppers  and  crickets  friends  or  enemies 
of  our  gardens  ? 

What  are  the  enemies  of  grasshoppers  and 
crickets  ?  Do  grasshoppers  and  crickets  do  more 
harm  than  good  ? 

To  the  Teacher :  Adapt  to  your  own  course  of  study  the  language 
work  based  on  nature  study  and  history. 


BOOK   ONE  123 

Written  Exercise  : 

Write  a  letter  to  a  friend,  telling  about  your  ex- 
cursion, where  you  went,  who  went  with  you, 
what  you  saw. 

LII 

Nouns  —  Plurals  in  s 

Last  Saturday  Mary  and  Jennie  and  I  went  to  the 
park.  We  saw  beds  and  beds  of  beautiful  flowers, 
and  great  cages  of  bright-colored  birds.  We  ran  and 
played  under  the  trees,  swung  in  the  big  swings,  and 
rode  in  a  boat  on  the  lake.  We  did  not  come  home 
until  the  sun  set. 

Write  in  a  column  all  the  words  in  the  little  girl's 
story  that  are  names  of  things.  These  words  are 
called  nouns. 

Copi/  in  your  notebooks  : 
All  names  are  called  nouns. 

How  many  of  the  nouns  stand  for  more  than  one 
thing  ?  Write  opposite  each  of  these  the  word  that 
stands  for  one  of  the  same  thing. 

What  is  the  difference  between  them  ? 

In  what  way,  then,  are  these  words  changed  so 
as  to  mean  more  than  one  ? 

Words  that  mean  more  than  one  are  called 
plural ;  words  that  mean  only  one  are  called 
singular. 


124  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

There  are  other  ways  of  making  nouns  plural  be- 
sides adding  s,  but  this  is  the  most  common  way. 
Make  a  rule  and  write  it  in  your  notebook : 

Some  plural  nouns  are  formed  by  adding  s  to  the 
singular. 

If   you   can,  w^ite  a   list  of   twenty  names   of 
things  that  form  the  plural  by  adding  s. 

LIII 
THE  FOX  AND  THE  CAT 


Titles  —  Abbreviations  —  Plurals  in  es 
Read  : 

A  sly  old  fox,  who  was  very  proud  of  his  cunning, 
one  day  met  a  modest  cat. 

"  How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Fox  ?  "  said  the  cat. 

"Very  well,"  replied  the  fox.  ^'Come  now,  Mrs. 
Cat,  it  is  said  that  you  are  very  quick-witted.  Tell 
me,  I  pray  you,  how  many  tricks  you  know  for  escap- 
ing the  dogs,  the  enemies  of  us  both." 

"  Oh,  I  know  but  one,"  answered  she,  "  and  that  is 
to  scramble  up  a  tree  as  fast  as  I  can." 

"  Is  that  all  ?  "  said  the  fox  ;  "  why,  I  know  at  least 
a  hundred.     How  I  pity  your  ignorance  I  " 

Just  then  they  heard  the  baying  of  the  hounds. 

"  Good-by,"  said  the  cat,  and  running  up  a  tree,  she 
hid  in  the  branches,  where  she  could  see  all  that  hap- 
pened without  being  seen. 

The  fox  tried  all  his  tricks  in  vain.  The  dogs 
quickly  seized  him.     As  they  were  dragging  him  away. 


BOOK   ONE  125 

the  cat  called  from  the  tree,  "  Good-by,  Mr.  Fox,  how 
I  pity  you  and  how  glad  I  am  that  I  know  one  good 
thing  well  !  " 

Tell  the  story. 
Conversation : 

Give  your  opinion  of  the  fox  and  the  cat. 

What  do  you  think  this  fable  means  ? 

Give  reasons  for  the  use  of  as  many  as  you  can 
of  the  capitals  in  this  fable. 

Notice  that  Mr.  and  Alrs.^  wherever  they  are 
written,  begin  with  capitals.  These  words  are 
called  titles.  Other  titles  are  Uncle  and  President, 
when  used  with  names,  as  Uncle  Henry ^  President 
Taft. 

Copy  in  your  notebooks : 

Titles  always  begin  with  capital  letters. 

Write  a  list  of  all  the  titles  you  can  think  of. 
Use  names  with  the  title  words  in  this  list  be- 
cause the  words  alone,  as  U7icle,  president,  are  not 
titles.  That  is,  if  you  say,  "  I  saw  my  uncle,"  the 
word  uncle  is  not  a  title,  but  if  you  say,  "  Uncle 
Henry,"  Uncle  is  a  title. 

Notice  another  thing  about  Mr.  and  Mrs.  They 
are  followed  by  periods.  That  is  because  they  are 
abbreviations.     What  are  abbreviations  ? 

Mr.  really  stands  for  mister  and  Mrs.  for  mistress, 
which  we  commonly  call  misses.  What  other 
abbreviations  have  you  already  learned  ?  . 


126  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

What  rule  did  you  make  about  them  ? 

All  abbreviations  are  followed  by  periods,  as  Pres. 
for  President,  Prin.  for  Principal.  In  most  cases 
it  is  better  to  write  the  whole  word  than  to  use 
abbreviations,  but  Mr.  and  Mrs.  are  almost  always 
written  as  abbreviations. 

Copy  the  following  titles  with  their  abbrevia- 
tions : 

Doctor —  Dr. 
Reverend  —  Rev. 
Honorable  —  Hon. 
Professor  —  Prof. 
Captain  —  Capt. 
Superintendent  —  Supt. 

Find  others  and  copy  them. 


Nouns  that  form  their  Plurals  by  adding  es 

How  would  you  change  the  word  fox,  to  make  it 
mean  more  than  one  ? 

How  would  you  change  box,  brush,  peach  f 

How  many  syllables  has  the  singular  of  each  of 
these  words  ?     How  many  has  the  plural  ? 

Why  do  we  add  es  instead  of  s  to  these  words  ? 

Write  this  rule  in  your  notebooks : 

When  the  sound  of  a  noun  will  not  unite  with  that 
of  Sy  the  plural  is  formed  by  adding  es.  The  es  forms  a 
separate  syllable. 


BOOK   ONE  127 

Write  if  you  can  the  singular  and  the  plural  of 
ten  nouns  of  this  kind. 


LIV 

FABLES 

1 

Outline  for  a  Fable  —  Plurals  of  Nouns  in  y 

A  monkey  sees  some  chestnuts  roasting  in  the 
coals.  He  wants  some,  but  is  afraid  of  being 
burned.  He  sees  the  cat  near  by  and  persuades 
her  by  flattery  to  pull  out  the  chestnuts,  which  he 
then  eats. 

Conversation : 

Talk  about  this  outline  in  class  and  complete  the 
fable,  while  some  one  writes  the  sentences  on  the 
blackboard.  When  you  are  satisfied,  copy  it  in 
your  notebook.  Be  careful  about  punctuation  and 
capitals. 


Original  Fables 

Here  are  some  topics  for  original  fables : 

The  Old  Fish,  the  Young  Fish,  and  the  Hook. 
The  Old  Mouse,  the  Young  Mouse,  and  the  Cat. 
The  Proud  Turkey  Cock  at  Thanksgiving  Time. 


128  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Choose  one  of  these  subjects  and  make  a  fable 
together.  First  decide  what  the  fable  shall  teach. 
Then  make  up  the  conversation  and,  as  you  agree 
on  sentences,  write  them  on  the  blackboard. 
When  it  is  all  done,  talk  about  it  and  correct  it, 
and  then  copy  it. 


Plurals  of  Nouns  ending  in  y 

Here  are  the  plurals  of  two  nouns  ending  in  y  : 
monkey  — •  monkeys  lady  —  ladies 

You  see  that  the  plurals  are  not  spelled  alike. 
The  noun  monkey  merely  adds  s  to  form  its  plural. 
But  the  noun  lady  changes  y  to  i  and  adds  es. 
Does  the  es  form  another  syllable? 

In  monkey,  what  letter  comes  before  3/  ?  Is  it  a 
vowel  or  a  consonant  ? 

In  lady  what  letter  comes  befoie  yt  Is  it  a 
vowel  or  a  consonant? 

What  rule  can  you  make  for  writing  the  plurals 
of  nouns  that  end  in  ?/  ? 

Write  in  your  yiotehooks : 

Nouns  ending  in  /  with  a  vowel  before  it  add  5  to  form 
the  pluraL 

Nouns  ending  in  /  with  a  consonant  before  it  change 
y  to  /  and  add  es  to  form  the  pluraL 


BOOK   ONE  129 

Oral  Exercise : 

Read  these  sentences  aloud,  changing  the  nouns 
in  italics  to  the  plural. 

Be  careful  to  use  are  and  loere  with  nouns  that 
mean  more  than  one. 

1.  The  hoy  was  building  a  sand  fort. 

2.  The  fly  is  buzzing  on  the  window  pane. 

3.  The  lily  is  in  blossom. 

4.  The  turkey  is  strutting  about  the  farmyard. 

5.  The  ditch  is  now  full  of  water. 

6.  The  kitten  was  hiding  under  the  rose  hush, 

7.  The  tall  chimney  is  sending  out  clouds  of  black 
smoke. 

8.  Helen's  mother  was  telling  her  a  story  of  ?i  fairy, 

9.  The  valley  is  green  and  fertile. 

10.  The  city  is  full  of  people. 

11.  The  church  has  a  tall  spire. 

12.  In  winter,  the  willow  tree  has  no  leaves. 

Good  Usage : 

In  the  last  two  sentences  how  did  you  change 
the  word  has  f 

Has  is  used  with  singular  nouns,  and  have  with 
plural  nouns. 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  the  sentences  that  you  have  given  orally. 
Be  careful  to  spell  correctly  the  plurals  of  the  nouns 
ending  in  y. 

In  how  many  ways  have  you  formed  plurals  in 

this  Ipssnn  ? 


130  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

LV 

SEEDS 

Writing  Descriptions 

1 

Collection  and  Observation 

Bring  to  the  class  samples  of  different  kinds  of 
seeds.     Study  them  in  class. 

Find  the  covering,  the /oo(i,  the  germ. 

Conversation : 

Tell  what  seeds  are  for.     Describe  each  part. 

See  if  the  seeds  studied  have  any  other  parts 
than  those  mentioned.  If  they  have,  tell  what 
they  are  for. 

Written  Exercise  : 

Write  in  a  list  the  names  of  all  the  seeds  studied 
in  class. 

Write  in  another  list  the  names  of  all  the  other 
seeds  that  you  are  acquainted  with. 

Write  a  description  of  one  kind  of  seed  brought 
to  class,  mentioning  the  shape  and  size,  the  cover- 
ing, the  food,  the  germs.  Illustrate  your  descrip- 
tion with  a  free-hand  drawing. 

If  you  cannot  think  of  the  best  words  to  tell 
your  thought  exactly,  ask  your  teacher. 


BOOK   ONE  131 


Distribution 
Conversation  : 

Tell  on  what  kind  of  plant  each  seed  studied 
grows  —  large  or  small,  tree,  bush,  or  herb;  where 
on  the  plant  it  grows  ;  how  it  is  fastened  to  the 
plant. 

If  you  gathered  the  seeds,  did  you  find  them  on 
the  plant  or  on  the  ground  ?  If  on  the  ground, 
were  they  near  the  plant  or  at  a  distance  ? 

Did  you  ever  see  seeds  flj  ng  through  the  air  ? 

Did  you  ever  find  seeds  stickirig  to  your  clothes? 

Did  you  ever  see  them  sticking  to  the  hair  of 
animals  ? 

3 

Observation  : 

Examine  again  the  seeds  in  class. 

See  if  you  can  find  on  them  any  parts  which 
make  it  easy  for  the  wind  to  carry  them. 

See  if  they  have  any  parts  which  make  it  likely 
that  animals  will  carry  them  from  one  place  to 
another. 

Do  you  see  how  weeds  sometimes  "  spread  "  ? 

Conversation  :  ,  ,-,0 

Tell  all  the  ways  you  know  of  by  which  Mother 
Nature  scatters  seeds  over  the  earth  and  makes 
plants  grow  in  many  places. 


132  ENGLISH  LESSONS 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  paragraphs  on  "  How  Mother  Nature 
Scatters  Seeds." 

Write  an  imaginary  story  of  the  journey  of  a 
seed  from  the  mother-plant  to  its  new  home,  tell- 
ing how  it  enjoyed  the  journey. 

LVI 

THREE   BUGS 

1 
Read  and  talk  over : 

Three  little  bugs  in  a  basket, 

And  hardly  room  for  two  ! 
And  one  was  yellow  and  one  was  black, 

And  one  like  me  or  you. 
The  space  was  small,  no  doubt,  for  all, 

But  what  should  three  bugs  do  I 

Three  little  bugs  in  a  basket, 

And  hardly  crumbs  for  two. 
And  all  were  selfish  in  their  hearts. 

The  same  as  I  or  you ; 
So  the  strong  one  said,  "  We  will  eat  the  bread. 

And  that  is  what  we'll  do." 

Three  little  bugs  in  a  basket, 

And  the  beds  but  two  would  hold ; 

So  they  all  three  fell  to  quarreUng  — 
The  white,  and  the  black,  and  the  gold. 

And  two  of  the  bugs  got  under  the  rugs, 
And  one  was  out  in  the  cold  I 


BOOK   ONE  133 

So  he  that  was  left  in  the  basket, 

Without  a  crumb  to  chew, 
Or  a  thread  to  wrap  himself  withal. 

When  the  wind  across  him  blew, 
Pulled  one  of  the  rugs  from  one  of  the  bugs, 

And  so  the  quarrel  grew  ! 

And  so  there  was  war  in  the  basket. 

Ah,  pity  'tis,  'tis  true ! 
But  he  that  was  frozen  and  starved  at  last 

A  strength  from  his  weakness  drew. 
And  pulled  the  rugs  from  both  of  the  bugs, 

And  killed  and  ate  them  too  ! 

Now,  when  bugs  live  in  a  basket. 

Though  more  than  it  well  can  hold. 
It  seems  to  me  they  had  better  agree  — 

The  white,  and  the  black,  and  the  gold  — 
And  share  what  comes  of  the  bed  and  crumbs. 
And  leave  no  bug  in  the  cold  ! 

Phcebe  Gary. 
By  permission  of  Houghton,  Mifflin  and  Company. 

Conversation : 

.  Why  could  not  the  three  live  together  ? 
Were  they  all  wrong  or  all  right  ? 
Were  the  bugs  wise  or  foolish  ? 
Why  do  you  think  so  ? 
Do  people  ever  act  like  these  bugs  ? 
What  do  you  think  the  poem  teaches  ? 
See  if  you  can  find  stories  of  unselfish  acts  to 
tell  in  class. 


134  ENGLISH   LESSONS 


Written  Exercise: 


Write  in  your  own  words  the  story  of  the  Three 

Bugs. 

2 

Blotv  —  Blew  —  Blown 
Grow  —  Grew  —  Grotvn 

Good  Usage: 

Read  the  line  containing  hleiv  in  the  fourth 
stanza  of  the  poem. 

Change  it  to  tell  what  the  wind  is  doing  now. 

Change  it  to  tell  what  the  wind  has  done. 

Read  the  last  line  of  the  same  stanza. 

Change  it  to  tell  what  is  happening  now. 

Change  it  to  tell  what  has  happened. 

You  see  that  Now  and  groio  are  changed  in  the 
same  way.     Each  word  has  three  forms : 
blow  —  blew  —  blown 
grow  —  grew —  grown 

Make  three  statements  about  the  wind,  using 
the  three  forms  of  blotv. 

Make  three  statements  about  a  plant,  using  the 
three  forms  of  groio. 

Write  on  the  blackboard  the  statements  that 
you  have  made. 

What  letter  do  you  change  in  hloio  and  grow  to 
tell  what  happened  at  some  past  time  ? 

How  do  you  change  blow  and  grow  when  you 
put  have  or  has  or  had  before  them  ? 


BOOK   ONE 


135 


BLUM 


A  SHOWER   IN   THE   DRAWiNG-ROOM 

LVII 

A   SHOWER   IN  THE   DRAWING-ROOM 

1 
Conversation : 

Discuss    the   picture  on  this  page.     Tell  what 

these  children  are  doing,  what  made  them  do  it, 


136  ENGLISH  LESSONS 

who  first  thought  of  it.  Tell  what  you  think  they 
said  to  each  other. 

Is  water  good  for  carpets  and  rugs  ?  Are  the 
children  enjoying  themselves  ?  Why  do  you  think 
so  ?     What  will  mother  say  ?     What  will  she  do  ? 

Will  the  children  be  so  happy  then  ? 

What  do  you  think  mother  ought  to  do  ? 

Written  Exercise: 

Write  what  the  little  boy  said. 
Write  what  the  little  girl  said. 
Write  what  the  mother  will  say. 
Write  a  story  of  it  all,  being  careful  about  your 
sentences,  paragraphs,  and  quotation  marks. 

2 

Ought 
Good  Usage:  ^ 

Notice  the  question,  "What  do  you  think  mother: 
ought  to  do?" 

You  see  that  the  word  had  is  not  used  before 
ought. 

Never  use  had  or  hadnt  before  ought. 

Conversation : 

Use  ought  in  answering  these  questions  ; 

Ought  we  to  be  truthful  ? 

Ought  we  to  be  honest  ? 

Ought  we  to  be  kind  to  one  another  ? 


BOOK   ONE  137 

Ought  children  to  obey  their  parents  ? 
Ought  we  to  love  our  country  ? 
Ought  a  boy  to  strike  his  sister  ? 
Ought  we  to  be  cross  ? 
Ought  we  to  be  selfish  ? 
Ought  we  to  play  unfairly  ? 
Ought  we  to  be  cowardly  ? 

Written  Exercise: 

Write  the  answers  to  all  the  questions  asked  in 
the  conversation. 

LVIII 

A   STREAK   OF   SUNSHINE 

The  Comma 
Read : 

*'  Well,  grandma,"  said  a  little  boy,  resting  his 
elbows  on  the  old  lady's  armchair,  "  what  have  you 
been  doing  here  at  the  window  all  day  by  yourself?" 

''  All  I  could,"  said  grandma,  cheerfully  ;  "  I  have 
read  a  little,  and  then  looked  out  at  the  people.  There's 
one  little  girl,  Arthur,  that  I  have  learned  to  watch 
for.  She  has  sunny  brown  hair  and  her  eyes  have  the 
same  sunny  look  in  them,  and  I  wonder  every  day  what 
makes  lier  look  so  bright.     Ah,  here  she  comes  now." 

"•  That  girl  with  the  brown  apron  on  ? "  he  cried. 
"  Why,  I  know  that  girl.  That's  Susie  Moore,  and  she 
has  a  very  hard  time,  grandma." 

"  Has  she  ?  "  said  grandma.  "  Oh,  little  boy,  wouldn't 
you  give  anything  to  know  where  she  gets  all  that 
brightness  from  ?  " 

"  I'll   ask   her,"    said    Arthur,   promptly ;    and    to 


138  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

grandma's  surprise  he  raised  the  window  and  called, 
"Susie,  oh,  Susie,  come  up  here  a  minute;  grandma 
wants  you  !  " 

The  brown  eyes  opened  wide  in  surprise,  but  the 
little  maid  turned  at  once  and  came  in.  "  Grandma 
wants  to  know,  Susie  Moore,"  exclaimed  the  boy, 
**  what  makes  you  look  so  bright  all  the  time." 

"  Why,  I  have  to,"  said  Susie  ;  "you  see,  papa's  been 
sick  a  long  while,  and  mamma's  tired  out  with  taking 
care  of  him,  and  baby's  cross  with  her  teeth,  and  if  I 
were  not  bright,  who  would  be  ?  " 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  see,"  said  dear  old  grandma,  putting  her 
arms  around  this  little  streak  of  sunshine.  "That's 
God's  reason  for  things  ;  they  are  here  because  some- 
body needs  them.  Shine  on,  little  sun  ;  there  couldn't 
be  a  better  reason  for  shining  than  because  it  is  dark  at 
home." 

Tell  the  story  in  class. 
Conversation  : 

What  do  you  think  of  Susie  ? 

Was  she  right  ? 

Which  was  wiser,  Susie  or  the  little  bugs  in  the 
basket?     Why? 

Which  would  you  rather  act  like  ? 

The  Comma  with  the  Name  of  a  Person  or  Thing 
Addressed 

Count  the  number  of  times  each  of  these  marks 
<<*'.?  is  used  in  the  story.  Tell  why  they 
are  used  in  each  case. 


BOOK   ONE  139 

There  is  another  mark  that  is  used  very  often, 
and  for  several  purposes.  This  is  the  mark  (,) 
and  it  is  called  a  comma.  It  is  used  after  grandma 
in  the  first  paragraph,  and  Arthur  in  the  second  ; 
after  little  hoy  in  the  fourth,  and  Susie  in  the  fifth ; 
all  for  the  same  reason.  What  is  that  reason  ? 
Talk  about  it  in  class  until  you  are  sure.  Then 
look  at  the  third  and  fourth  paragraphs  and  see  if 
you  can  find  where  a  comma  is  used  for  the  same 
reason. 

Write  on  the  blackboard  what  you  have  agreed 
upon. 

Copy  in  your  notebooks  : 

Commas  are  used  to  separate  the  names  of  persons  or 
things  spoken  to  from  what  is  said  to  them. 

Find  in  your  readers  or  other  books  commas  used 
for  this  reason. 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  five  questions,  using  in  each  the  name  of 
the  person  spoken  to. 

Write  five  commands,  using  in  each  the  name  of 
the  person  spoken  to.  Express  your  commands  in 
a  courteous  way. 

Be  careful  to  punctuate  the  sentences  correctly. 


140 


ENGLISH   LESSONS 


LTX 
«I  SHINE,"  SAYS  THE  SUN 
The  Comma  with  a  Quotation 
Read  and  talk  over : 

"  I  shine,"  says  the  sun, 
"  To  give  the  world  light," 
"  I  glimmer,"  adds  the  moon, 
"  To  beautify  the  night," 
"  I  ripple,"  says  the  brook, 
"  I  whisper,"  sighs  the  breeze, 
"  I  patter,"  laughs  the  rain, 
"  We  rustle,"  call  the  trees, 
"  We  dance,"  nod  the  daisies, 
"I  twinkle,"  shines  the  star, 
"  We  sing,"  chant  the  birds, 
"  How  happy  we  all  are  ! " 
'*  I  smile,"  cries  the  child. 
Gentle,  good,  and  gay  ; 
The  sweetest  thing  of  all. 
The  sunshine  of  each  day. 

Louisa  M.  Alcott. 

How  many  times  are  quotation  marks  used  in 
the  poem  ?  Notice  the  mark  after  each  quotation. 
What  is  it  called  ? 

Where  have  we  already  learned  to  place  this 
mark? 

Here  is  another  place. 

Study  the  poem  and  make  in  class  a  new  rule 
for  the  use  of  the  comma. 


BOOK   ONE  141 

Copy  in  your  notebooks  : 

A  comma  is  commonly  used  after  a  quotation,  unless  it 
is  a  question  or  comes  at  the  end  of  a  sentence. 


LX 

ROBERT  OF   LINCOLN 

Pictures  in  Words 

Merrily  swinging  on  brier  and  weed, 
Near  to  the  nest  of  his  little  dame, 
Over  the  mountain-side  or  mead, 

Robert  of  Lincoln  is  telling  his  name  : 
"  Bob-o'-link,  bob-o'-link, 
Spink,  spank,  spink  ; 
Snug  and  safe  is  that  nest  of  ours, 
Hidden  among  the  summer  flowers. 
Chee,  chee,  chee." 

Robert  of  Lincoln  is  gayly  drest, 

Wearing  a  bright  black  wedding  coat  ; 
White  are  his  shoulders,  and  white  his  crest ; 
Hear  him  call  in  his  merry  note; 
"  Bob-o'-link,  bob-o'-link, 
Spink,  spank,  spink; 
Look  what  a  nice  new  coat  is  mine. 
Sure  there  was  never  a  bird  so  fine. 
Chee,  chee,  chee." 

Robert  of  Lincoln's  Quaker  wife, 

Prettv  and  quiet,  with  plain  brown  winefs. 


142  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Passing  at  home  a  patient  life, 

Broods  in  the  grass,  while  her  husband  sings 

"  Bob-o'-link,  bob-o'-link, 

Spink,  spank,  spink; 
Brood,  kind  creature;  you  need  not  fear 
Thieves  and  robbers,  while  I  am  here. 

Chee,  chee,  chee." 

Modest  and  shy  as  a  nun  is  she, 

One  weak  chirp  is  her  only  note. 
Braggart  and  prince  of  braggarts  is  he. 
Pouring  boasts  from  his  little  throat : 
"  Bob-o'-link,  bob-o'-link, 
Spink,  spank,  spink; 
Never  was  I  afraid  of  man. 
Catch  me,  cowardly  knaves,  if  you  can! 
Chee,  chee,  chee." 

Six  white  eggs  on  a  bed  of  hay. 

Flecked  with  purple,  a  pretty  sight! 
There  as  the  mother  sits  all  day, 

Robert  is  singing  with  all  his  might: 
"  Bob-o'-link,  bob-o'-link, 
Spink,  spank,  spink; 
Nice  good  wife,  that  never  goes  out. 
Keeping  house,  while  I  frolic  about. 
Chee,  chee,  chee." 

Soon  as  the  little  ones  chip  the  shell. 
Six  wide  mouths  are  open  for  food, 
Robert  of  Lincoln  bestirs  him  well. 
Gathering  seeds  for  the  hungry  brood: 
"  Bob-o'-link,  bob-o'-link, 
Spink,  spank,  spink; 


BOOK  ONE  143 

This  new  life  is  likely  to  be 
Hard  for  a  gay  young  fellow  like  me. 
Chee,  chee,  chee." 

Robert  of  Lincoln  at  length  is  made 

Sober  with  work  and  silent  with  care; 
Off  is  his  holiday  garment  laid, 
Half  forgotten  that  merry  air : 
"  Bob-oMink,  bob-o'-link, 
Spink,  spank,  spink; 
Nobody  knows  but  my  mate  and  I, 
Where  our  nest  and  our  nestlings  lie. 
Chee,  chee,  chee." 

Summer  wanes;  the  children  are  grown; 

Fun  and  frolic  no  more  he  knows, 
Robert  of  Lincoln's  a  humdrum  crone; 
Off  he  flies,  and  we  sing  as  he  goes : 
"  Bob-o'-link,  bob-o'-link, 
Spink,  spank,  spink; 
When  you  can  pipe  that  merry  old  strain, 
Robert  of  Lincoln,  come  back  again. 
Chee,  chee,  chee." 

William  Cullen  Bryant. 
By  permission  of  D.  Appleton  and  Co. 

Conversation  : 

"  Robert  of  Lincoln  "  is  the  poet's  name  for  the 
bobolink. 

Did  you  ever  see  a  bobolink  ?  If  not,  see  if  you 
can  form  a  picture  of  him  from  the  poem. 

What  words  in  the  second  stanza  describe  his 
coat  ?     How  can  it  be  both  black  and  bright  f 


144  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

What  words  describe  his  shoulders  ?  his  crest  ? 
What  is  a  bird's  crest  ? 

Tell  how  you  think  the  bobolink  looks. 

Has  he  a  merry  song?  What  words  tell  you 
this  ?     Is  he  boastful  ?     How  do  you  know  ? 

Read  the  first  stanza  and  tell  what  picture  you 
form  of  the  bobolink.  Is  he  large  or  small  ?  How 
do  you  know  ?  Why  is  he  swinging  ?  How  is  he 
swinging  ? 

What  words  describe  his  nest  ?     Where  is  it  ? 

Find  all  the  words  in  the  poem  that  help  you  to 
picture  Mrs.  Bobolink. 

Is  she  boastful  ?     How  do  you  know  ? 

What  words  describe  her  song  ? 

Find  the  words  that  help  you  to  picture  the  eggs. 

What  word  can  you  think  of  that  means  the 
same  as  "  flecked  "  ? 

Find  the  words,  that  help  you  to  picture  the 
young  birds. 

Find  the  words  that  help  you  to  picture  the 
father  bird  after  he  has  to  work  so  hard  for  his 
"  hungry  brood." 

Expressive  Acti viti  e  s : 

Draw  or  paint  a  picture  to  illustrate  this  poem. 

Observation : 

Watch  some  bird  that  nests  near  your  home. 
Find  out  if  you  can  : 


BOOK   ONE  145 

How  the  father  bird  looks. 

What  kind  of  song  he  sings. 

How  the  mother  bird  looks. 

Whether  she  sings  or  not. 

How  and  where  the  nest  is  built. 

How  many  eggs  there  are  and  how  they  look. 

How  the  young  birds  look  and  how  they  are  fed. 

How  fast  they  grow. 

How  old  they  are  when  they  fly  away. 

Oral  Exercise : 

Tell  the  class  what  you  have  found  out. 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  about  the  bird  that  you  have  observed, 
telling  whatever  has  interested  you  most. 

LXI 
JOHN   SMITH 

Read : 

Powhatan  was  chief  of  a  powerful  tribe  of  Indians 
near  the  James  River  in  Virginia. 

John  Smith  was  the  ablest  and  greatest  man  among 
the  white  people  who  came  from  England  and  settled 
at  Jamestown,  not  far  away  from  Powhatan's  camp. 
The  following  story  about  him  has  come  down  to  us. 

One  day  Powhatan  with  his  braves  was  in  his  camp. 
Suddenly  a  runner  came  with  a  message  from  Pow- 
hatan's brother.  The  great  white  leader  had  been 
taken  prisoner,  and  would  soon  be  here. 


146  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

The  Indians  were  greatly  excited.  Powhatan  put  on 
his  royal  robe  of  raccoon  skins  and  seated  himself  before 
the  fire.  The  braves  all  stood  about  him,  wearing  their 
feathers  and  war  paint.  The  women  of  the  camp, 
dressed  in  bright-colored  blankets,  with  strings  of  beads 
about  their  necks,  came  forward  and  stood  behind  the 
chief. 

Soon  the  prisoner  came.  All  the  Indians  gave  a 
shout  of  triumph,  for  he  had  been  their  most  dreaded 
foe.  A  council  was  held.  It  was  decided  that  Smith 
must  die.  Two  large  stones  were  placed  before  the 
fire,  and  Smith  was  told  to  place  his  liead  upon  them. 
Just  as  the  Indians  were  about  to  strike,  Pocahontas,  the 
chief's  little  daughter,  ran  to  the  prisoner,  threw  her- 
self upon  him,  placed  her  head  on  his  head,  and  begged 
her  father  to  spare  the  white  man's  life. 

Powhatan  hesitated,  then  consented.  Smith  was 
saved. 

Tell  the  story  in  class. 

Describe  the  council  as  you  imagine  it. 

2 
Written  Exercise  : 

Write  either  the  story  of  John  Smith  and 
Pocahontas  or  a  description  of  the  council  held  by 
Powhatan. 

3 

Good  Usage : 

Tell  why  come  is  used  in  the  second  paragraph, 
and  why  catrie  is  used  in  the  third  and  fourth  para- 
graphs. 


BOOK   ONE  147 

Change  the  following  sentences  orally,  using 
has  or  have : 

The  Indians  gave  a  shout  of  triumph. 
Pocahontas  ran  to  the  prisoner. 
She  threw  herself  upon  him. 

If  you  do  not  know  how  to  change  threiv, 
look  at  the  forms  of  blow  and  groio  in  Lesson  LVI. 
The  word  throiv  is  changed  in  the  same  way ;  so  is 
know. 

In  which  sentence  will  you  use  have  f 
Why  will  you  use  has  in  the  others  ? 

Written  Exercise  : 

Make  sensible  sentences  of  your  own,  using  : 

1.  throw.,  threw.,  has  or  have  throivn. 

2.  grow,  grew,  has  or  have  grown. 

3.  know,  knew,  has  or  have  known. 

4.  blow,  blew,  has  or  have  blown. 

Do  not  say  throived,  gi^owed^  bloioed,  or  knowed. 
These  words  are  not  good  English ;  those  who 
speak  well  never  use  them. 

Write  in  your  notebooks: 

Has  is  used  with  a  singular  noun. 
Have  is  used  with  a  plural  noun. 


148  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

LX,II 

BEOWULF 

G-eneral  Review 
To  the  Teacher :  Consult  note  E,  page  324. 

1 

The  Danes 
Head : 

More  than  two  thousand  years  ago,  on  the  coast  of 
the  northern  ocean,  lived  a  people  called  the  Danes. 
They  loved  sailing  and  fighting  better  than  anything 
else.  They  were  tall  and  fair,  with  long  yellow  hair 
and  bright  blue  eyes. 

They  chose  a  king,  who  cared  for  them  and  gave 
rings  and  presents  when  he  wished  to  show  his  favor. 
For  this  reason  he  was  called  "  Ring-giver  "  and  "  Gift- 
giver." 

Conversation  : 

Where  did  the  Danes  live  ? 

Tell  all  you  can  about  their  country. 

Describe  them. 

What  did  they  like  best  to  do  ? 

Tell  all  you  can  about  the  king. 

By  what  names  was  he  known  ?     Why  ? 

Expressive  Activities  : 

Bring  to  the  class  all  the  pictures  that  you  can 
find  of  armor  such  as  the  Norsemen  wore,  of  ships 
such  as  they  sailed  in,  and  of  other  things  men- 
tioned in  the  story. 


BOOK   ONE  149 

Draw  and  paint  pictures  of  your  own  of  the  people 
and  the  things  they  used.  Make  models  of  their 
boats.  Keep  carefully  all  the  things  that  you  have 
made  or  brought  to  school,  to  be  used  later. 

To  the  Teacher:  Write  suggestive  and  difficult  words  on  the 
blackboard  and  leave  them  there. 


Hrothgar,!  King   of  the  Danes 

Read : 

Hrothgar,  king  of  the  Danes,  built  a  great  mead  hall, 
which  was  covered  with  gold  and  crowned  with  antlers. 
It  stood  on  a  terrace  with  benches  all  around  outside 
und  a  broad  stone  road  leading  to  it.  They  called 
this  beautiful  building  Heort,'^  that  is.  Hart,  Hall. 
There  at  night,  when  the  king  and  his  warriors  met  to 
feast  and  listen  to  the  harp,  a  terrible  thing  happened. 
Grendel,  a  hateful  monster,  crept  softly  to  the  hall 
where  the  knights  were  asleep,  and  killed  thirty  of  them. 
For  twelve  long  years  this  frightful  creature  troubled 
the  Danes,  until  all  the  people  were  sad  and  sorrowful. 

Conversation  : 

Who  was  Hrothgar? 

What  great  hall  did  he  build  ? 

Describe  it. 

What  did  the  people  do  in  it  ? 

Tell  about  the  dreadful  thing  that  happened. 

1  Pronounced  Hrot'gar.  2  Ha'ort. 


150  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  the  story  of  Hrothgar. 

Write  from  1   and  2  a   list  of  ten  words  that 

describe. 

3 

Hygelac,!  King  of  the  Saxons 
Read : 

Hygelac  ruled  the  land  of  the  Saxons,  distant  about 
a  day's  voyage  from  the  home  of  the  Danes.  The 
bravest  and  strongest  of  the  Saxon  princes  was  Beo- 
wulf,^  who  had  the  strength  of  thirty  men. 

A  minstrel  wandered  from  the  land  of  the  Danes  to 
the  land  of  the  Saxons.  In  the  evening,  when  the  noble 
warriors  were  all  seated  in  Hygelac's  great  liall,  the 
minstrel  took  his  harp  and  sang  the  story  of  the  troubles 
of  the  Danes  and  the  dread fi^l  deeds  of  Grendel. 

Then  said  Beowulf  to  Hygelac,  "  Give  me  a  few 
brave  knights  for  companions,  and  I  will  go  and  kill 
this  Grendel."  And  Hygelac  said,  "Go,  my  son,  and 
help  our  brothers,  the  Danes." 

Then  Beowulf  set  sail  with  fourteen  chosen  compan- 
ions to  help  Hrothgar. 

Conversation : 

Where  did  the  Saxons  live  ? 
Who  was  their  bravest  warrior  ? 
Tell  all  you  can  about  him. 
How  did  the  Saxons  learn  of  the  troubles  of  the 
Danes  ? 

1  Hige'lac.  2  Ba'o  wulf. 


BOOK   ONE  151 

What  did  Beowulf  say  to  Hygelac? 
What  did  Hygelac  reply  ? 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  sentences  telling   how    Hygelac  came  to 
undertake  his  adventure. 


The  Coming  of  the  Saxons  to  the  Land  of 
THE  Danes 

Read : 

The  wind  carried  them  swiftly  over  the  smooth  seas, 
the  "whale-paths."  At  evening,  they  saw  high  upon 
the  cliffs  the  palace  of  Hrothgar,  gilded  by  the  setting 
sun. 

When  they  were  about  to  land  on  the  Danish  shore, 
a  coast-guard,  who  had  seen  them  from  his  watch  tower, 
rode  down  to  the  shore  to  ask  why  they  came  bearing 
arms.  Beowulf  told  him  of  their  errand,  and  the  guard 
gladly  led  them  to  Heort,  where  Hrothgar  joyfully 
welcomed  them. 

In  the  evening  Hrothgar  made  a  great  feast  in  honor 
of  his  visitors,  and  as  they  sat  about  the  mead  table  in 
the  great  hall,  he  told  Beowulf  of  the  dreadful  Grendel 
and  all  their  woe.  -     ilii"  . 

Then  Beowulf  said  to  the  king,  "  I  have  come  %t;help 
you,  and  I  will  slay  this  monster  with  my  own  "hand J' 
At  this  the  king  rejoiced,  and  promised  to  Beowulf 
great  gifts,  if  he  should  rid  them  of  their  terror. 


152  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Conversation : 

Tell  what  the  sea  guard  did  when  he  saw  the 
Saxons ;  what  Beowulf  replied  to  him. 

Tell  how  the  king  greeted  the  Saxons ;  how  they 
passed  the  evening;  what  the  king  said. 

Ask  one  another  other  questions  and  answer 
them,  being  careful  to  use  the  best  words  that 
you  know. 

Expressive  Activities : 

Find  pictures  of  different  kings  and  queens. 
Make  a  sand-table  picture  of  the  harbor. 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  in  sentences  the  story  from  the  beginning. 
Arrange  the  sentences  in  paragraphs. 


The  Battle  with  Gkendel 

Read : 

When  night  came,  all  the  Danes  went  away  from  the 
hall,  leaving  Beowulf  and  his  brave  companions  to  wait 
for  Grendel.  Soon  he  came,  creeping  softly,  and  seiz- 
ing the  nearest  knight,  quickly  crushed  his  bones. 
Beowulf  wrestled  with  the  monster.  After  a  fierce 
struggle  he  tore  one  of  Grendel's  arms  from  the  shoul- 
der. Grendel  fled  to  his  home  and  there  died.  The 
great  claw  was  hung  from  the  ceiling,  and  all  the  Danes 
gave  thanks.     Rich  presents  were  given  to  Beowulf  for 


BOOK   ONE  153 

his  bravery,  rings  and  a  collar  of  gold  and  noble  horses 
all  in  armor.  The  beautiful  queen  herself  passed  the 
mead  bowl  to  the  brave  warriors  and  presented  them 
the  gifts,  with  her  own  hands  placing  a  priceless  collar 
of  gold  about  the  neck  of  Beowulf. 

Then  the  warriors,  Danes  and  Saxons  together,  lay 
down  without  fear  upon  the  mead  benches  to  sleep. 
But  Beowulf  slept  in  the  palace. 

Conversation : 

Describe  Grendel's  coming. 

Tell  about  the  battle. 

How  did  the  Danes  feel  about  the  death  of 
Grendel  ? 

What  did  Hrothgar  say  ? 
.   Describe  the  gifts. 

Where  did  the  warriors  sleep  ? 

Expressive  Activities : 

Tell  the  story  of  the  feast,  in  water  colors  or 
ink  with  a  brush. 

6 

Write  in  sentences  all  you  can  of  the  battle 
with  Grendel.     Read  what  you  have  written. 

Turn  to  the  first  part  of  the  story  on  page  148. 
How  many  paragraphs  are  there  in  it  ?  Count  the 
sentences  in  the  first  paragraph.  Read  them.  Do 
the  same  for  the  second  paragraph.  Why  do  you 
think  these  sentences  are  not  all  put  in  one  para- 
graph ? 


154  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Kead  the  paragraphs  on  page  151.  Can  yon  di- 
vide them  differently?  What  does  each  of  these 
paragraphs  tell  ? 

Write  in  good  paragraphs  the  story  of  Beowulf 
and  Grendel,  telling : 

1.  Who  Grendel  was  and  what  he  had  done. 

2.  Who  Beowulf  was  and  how  he  heard  of 
Grendel. 

3.  What  Beowulf  said  and  did  upon  hearing  this. 

4.  How  he  slew  Grendel. 

To  the  Teacher:  Watch  for  the  "and"  habit,  and  help  the 
pupils  to  overcome  it  both  in  speech  and  in  writing. 


Grendel's  Mother  Comes 


Read : 


But  the  troubles  of  the  Danes  were  not  yet  over. 
Grendel's  mother  was  a  monster  even  more  terrible  than 
Grendel  himself.  She  lived  at  the  botton  of  a  deep, 
dark  pool  in  the  marshes. 

When  she  saw  her  son  dead  at  the  hand  of  Beowulf, 
having  left  his  arm  in  Hrothgar's  castle,  she  vowed 
that  she  would  have  revenge. 

So  the  next  night,  while  the  warriors  were  sleeping 
as  the}'"  were  used  to  do  before  Grendel  came,  the 
nibthei*  of  Grendel  crept  up  from  the  marsh  in  which 
isH'e  lived.  She  seized  the  king's  dearest  friend  and 
carried  him  away,  taking  also  her  son  Grendel's  arm. 


BOOK   ONE 


155 


.  OM       HEROES  OF    MYTH 

BEOWULF  LEAPED   INTO  THE   BLACK  POOL 


156  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Conversation : 

Describe  Grendel's  mother  as  you  imagine  her. 
Where  did  she  hve  ?     What  did  she  do  ? 
Why  did  not  T3eowulf  defend  the  warriors  ? 

Expressive  Activities : 

Draw  a  picture  of  Grendel's  mother. 
Paint  a  picture  of  the  men  asleep  on  the  mead 
benches. 

8 

The  Battle  with  Grendel's  Mother 

Read : 

Early  in  the  morning,  when  Beowulf  asked  Hrothgar 
if  all  went  well,  the  sorrowful  king  replied,  "  Do  not 
ask  me  if  things  go  well;  "  and  he  told  the  dreadful  new 
story. 

Beowulf  quickly  armed  himself  and  followed  the 
monster.  Clad  in  all  his  armor,  with  his  sword  in  his 
hand,  he  leaped  into  the  black  pool,  while  his  friends 
waited  for  him  on  the  bank.  Frightful  water  beasts  and 
sea  serpents  swam  after  him,  but  he  escaped  them  all. 

At  length  Grendel's  mother  beheld  him  coming  and 
went  forth  to  meet  him.  He  wrestled  with  the  witch, 
but  she  bore  him  to  her  home  at  the  bottom  of  the  pool. 
There  Beowulf  saw  the  body  of  Grendel  lying  dead. 

A  terrible  fight  took  place,  and  Grendel's  mother  had 
almost  beaten  Beowulf,  when  he  saw  on  the  wall  a  huge 
sword,  the  work  of  giants.  He  quickly  seized  it  and 
killed  the  monster  with  it.  He  also  cut  oif  Grendel's 
head.     So  poisonous  was  his  blood  that  the  blade  melted 


BOOK   ONE  157 

like  snow  and  only  the  hilt  remained.  Taking  this  and 
the  head  of  Grendel,  Beowulf  hurried  to  the  upper  world. 
All  day  long  his  faithful  followers  had  waited  on  the 
bank  for  their  dear  leader.  They  were  almost  in  despair, 
thinking  that  the  monster  had  killed  him.  Suddenly 
they  saw  his  head  above  the  waves.  They  shouted  for 
joy  and  rushed  to  his  aid.  Four  men  were  needed  to 
carry  the  awful  head  of  Grendel. 

Conversation : 

How  did  Beowulf  learn  of  the  new  trouble  ? 
What  did  he  do  ? 

Describe  his  going  to  Grendel' s  home. 

Describe  the  battle. 

What  kind  of  blood  had  Grendel  ? 

Describe  Beowulf's  home  coming.  How  did  his 
companions  feel  ? 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  the  story  of  Grendel' s  mother. 

9 

Beowulf's  Journey  Homeward 

Read  : 

Then  there  was  great  rejoicing  indeed  in  beautiful 
Heort.  The  king  embraced  Beowulf  and  called  him 
his  dear  son.  Again  at  night  a  noble  feast  was  given 
to  the  brave  Saxons.  The  queen  once  more  appeared 
and  passed  the  mead  bowl,  while  all  rejoiced.  More 
gifts   were   given   to   Beowulf    and    his    friends,   and 


158  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Hrothgar  promised  to  come  to  their  defense,  if  ever 
they  should  need  it. 

In  the  morning  Beowulf  and  his  companions  pre- 
pared to  depart  to  their  own  home  among  the  Saxons. 
Hrothgar,  weeping,  blessed  Beowulf  and  embraced  him, 
for  he  loved  the  brave  3^outh. 

The  vessel  was  loaded  down  w^ith  the  noble  gifts  of  the 
king  and  queen,  gifts  for  Beowulf  and  all  his  men,  and 
for  Hygelac  also.  The  heroes  then  set  sail,  and  before 
night  they  saw  the  shores  of  their  own  land,  where 
Hygelac  and  all  the  people  welcomed  them  with  great 
rejoicing. 

Conversation : 

Tell  how  Hrothgar  showed  his  joy  and  gratitude ; 
how  he  felt  at  Beowulf's  departure.  Describe 
Beowulf's  return.  Tell  how  the  Saxons  felt  over 
the  hero's  return. 

10 

To  the  Teacher :  See  note  F,  page  325. 

The  Last  Days  of  Beowulf 

Bead  : 

For  many  years  Beowulf  lived  among  the  Saxons, 
until  Hygelac  died.  After  his  death  the  people  chose 
Beowulf  for  their  king.  He  ruled  wisely  for  fifty 
years.     Then  trouble  came. 

A  slave,  fleeing  from  his  master,  found  the  cave  of 
a  dragon,  who,  for  three  hundred  years,  had  guarded  a 
great  hoard  of  gold  and  silver.     As  the  terrible  creature 


BOOK   ONE  159 

was  asleep,  the  slave  took  a  golden  cup  and  many 
beautiful  rings,  which  he  gave  to  his  master  for  a  peace 
offering.  When  night  came,  the  angry  dragon  went 
in  search  of  his  lost  treasure,  breathing  out  flames  and 
burning  the  homes  of  the  people.  Even  the  king's 
palace  was  destroyed. 

Then  Beowulf  went  to  fight  the  dragon,  taking  with 
him  a  band  of  warriors.  When  the  dragon  rushed  out, 
all  deserted  Beowulf  except  one,  who  was  called  Wiglaf. 
The  struggle  did  not  last  long.  The  dragon  was  killed, 
but  Beowulf  was  so  terribly  injured  that  he  knew  he 
too  must  die. 

Wiglaf  seated  the  dying  king  on  a  rock,  gave  him 
water,  and  then  brought  gold  and  silver  from  the  cave 
to  show  the  hidden  treasure.  Beowulf  placed  his 
golden  collar  on  Wiglaf,  telling  him  to  be  king.  He 
asked  that  the  treasure  be  divided  among  his  people, 
and  his  ashes  buried  near  the  sea  that  he  loved. 

When  Wiglaf  told  the  Saxons  of  Beowulf's  death  and 
of  his  last  thought  for  them,  they  could  not  be  comforted. 

"  So  with  groanings  sorrowed  all  the  great  folk. 
All  his  house-companions  for  their  house-lord's  over- 
throw. 
Quoth  they  that  he  was  of  the  world-kings  all, 
Of  all  men  the  mildest,  and  to  men  the  kindest, 
To  his  people  gentlest,  and  of  praise  the  keenest." 

11 
Conversation: 

Was  Beowulf  a  real  hero  ?     Why  do  you  think  so? 
Does  a  real  hero  do  brave  deeds  for  himself  or 
for  others  ? 

12 — one 


160  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Was  Beowulf  this  kind  of  hero  ? 
Do  you  know  of  any  such  heroes  now  ? 
Have  you  read  of  such  heroes  ? 
Tell  of  some  heroes  that  you  have  known  of  or 
read  about. 

Word  Study : 

Make  lists  of  the  words  used  to  describe  persons 
or  things  in  5,  8,  10.  Tell  what  persons  or  things 
they  describe. 

Do  these  words  help  you  to  form  clear  pictures  ? 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  a  paragraph  telling  why  you  think  Beo- 
wulf was  a  real  hero,  or  write  the  story  of  Beowulf's 
last  fight. 

LXIII 

1 

Lie  —  Lay  —  Lain 
Good  Usage  : 

Brave  men  lie  down  to  sleep  without  fear. 

Then  the  warriors  lay  down  without  fear  upon  the 
mead  benches  to  sleep. 

They  had  lain  there  but  a  short  time  when  Grendel's 
mother  came. 

Which  of  the  words  in  italics  tells  what  men  do 
now? 

What  does  lay  tell  ? 
How  is  lain  used  ? 


BOOK   ONE  161 

Supply  the  right  word  in  each  of  these  sentences  : 

1.  To  tell  what  happens  now. 

When  I  am  tired  I down  to  rest. 

The  cat by  the  tire  asleep. 

The  book  on  the  table. 

The  dew on  the  grass  in  the  morning. 

" down,  Rover,"  said  I  to  the  dog. 

Soldiers  often on  the  ground  to  sleepc 

2.  To  tell  what  happened  at  some  past  time. 

Last  night  I down  to  sleep. 

The  cat  came  in  and down  by  the  fire. 

The  book on  the  table  yesterday. 

When  I  went  out  the  dew  still on  the  grass. 

The  dog down  as  he  was  told. 

The  night  after  the  battle  the  soldiers on  the  field. 

3.  With  has  or  have  to  tell  what  has  happened. 

Do  not  disturb  her  if  she  has down. 

The  cat  has by  the  fire  all  day. 

The  book  has on  the  table  for  a  week. 

The  dew  has on  the  grass  for  hours. 

The  dog  has down  as  he  was  told. 

The  soldiers  have on  the  ground  all  night. 

Tell  how  we  use  the  three  words^  lie,  lay,  lain. 
Be  careful  to  use  them  correctly. 

Review 

Read  this  paragraph  carefully;  then  change  the 
words  that  tell  what  persons  or  things  do,  so  that 


162  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

the  paragraph  shall   tell    what   happened    in   the 
past : 

Early  in  the  morning  the  children  lie  asleep  in  their 
beds.  Outside,  the  dew  lies  on  the  grass  and  the  fog 
lies  on  the  mountains.  Then  the  east  grows  bright. 
The  birds  burst  into  song.  The  big  round  sun  comes 
up.  The  morning  breeze  blows  the  fog  away.  The 
children  run  about  shouting  and  laughing.  All  the 
world  is  awake. 

When  night  comes,  every  one  lies  down  again  to 
sleep. 

LXIV 

LETTERS 

1 

Read  this  letter  that  Sir  Walter  Scott  wrote  to 
his  daughter.  Anne  and  the  other  children  were 
his  grandchildren. 

Abbotsford,  May  3,  1813. 
My  dear  Sophia : 

I  received  your  letter,  in  which  you  say  nothing  of 
Walter's  schooling.  I  hope  that  goes  on  well.  I  am 
sorry  to  say  the  poor  Cuddy  is  no  more.  He  lost  the 
use  of  his  kind  eyes,  so  we  were  obliged  to  have  him 
shot,  out  of  humanity.  This  will  vex  little  Anne,  but 
as  the  animal  could  never  have  been  of  the  least  use  to 
her,  she  has  less  reason  to  regret  his  untimely  deatli  ; 
and  I  will  study  to  give  her  something  that  she  will 
like  as  well,  to  make  amends,  namely,  a  most  beautiful 
peacock  and  peahen,  so  tame  that  they  come  to  the 
porch  and  feed  out  of  the  children's  hands. 


BOOK   ONE  163 

They  were  a  present  from  Mertoun,  and  I  will  give 
them  to  little  Anne  to  make  amends  for  this  family 
loss  of  the  donkey. 

Give  my  love  to  Walter,  Anne,  and  little  Charles. 
Mamma  joins   me    in    kind    compliments    to    Miss 
Miller,  and  I  am  always. 

Your  affectionate  papa, 

Walter  Scott. 

Conversation  : 

What  do  3^ou  think  of  Anne's  grandfather  ? 
Have  you  a  grandfather  ? 

Which  do  you  think  Anne  would  rather  have, 
Cuddy  the  donkey,  or  the  peacock  and  the  peahen  ? 

Written  Exercise : 

Copy  the  heading,  salutation,  closing  phrase,  and 
signature  of  the  letter. 

Write  a  letter  to  a  real  or  make-believe  grand- 
father, telling  about  Anne  and  her  grandfather. 

Be  careful  that  the  heading,  salutation,  closing 
phrase,  capitals,  and  punctuation  are  all  correct. 


Turn  to  page  62  and  read  again  Mr.  Dodgson's 
letter  to  Isabel. 

Imagine  that  you  are  Isabel,  and  after  you  have 
received  the  copy  of  ''Alice  in  Wonderland,"  write 
Mr.  Dodgson  and  thank  him  for  it. 

First  write  the  present  date  and  your  own  address 


164  ENGLISH  LESSONS 

for  the  heading.  What  salutation  will  you  use  for 
your  new  friend  ? 

You  may  call  him  either  My  dear  Friend  or 
Dear  Mr.  Dodgson.     Copy  these  forms. 

How  will  you  close  your  letter  ? 

Here  are  several  forms  that  are  suitable :  Your 
grateful  little  friend,  Yours  gratefully,  Your  friend. 

Copy  these  forms. 

Talk  about  the  forms  for  both  salutation  and 
closing,  and  then  write  the  letter  to  Mr.  Dodgson. 

Note  that  when  you  write  of  a  hook,  magazine, 
or  newspaper,  giving  the  title,  you  must  not  only  use 
capitals,  hut  you  shoidd  inclose  the  title  in  quotation 
marks. 

Write  a  letter  from  Agnes  to  her  father,  Gen- 
eral Lee  (see  page  110),  answering  his  from  the  City 
of  Mexico,  telling  him  what  you  are  doing  at  home, 
and  also  telling  him  that  you  will  try  to  do  as  he 

asks. 

3 

Addressing  Envelopes 

After  the  letter  is  written,  it  is  put  into  an  en- 
velope and  addressed  to  the  person  to  whom  it  has 
been  written.  Here  are  some  addresses  as  they 
would  appear  on  envelopes. 

Miss  Gertrude  Brooks, 
Andover, 

Massachusetts. 


BOOK   ONE  165 

Mr.  Charles  H.  Gleason, 
555  Summer  Ave., 
Newark, 

New  Jersey. 

Miss  Alice  P.  Ray, 
Big  Lake, 

Minnesota. 
R.  F.  D.  No.  1. 

Mark  off  on  paper  three  oblongs,  each  six  by 
three  and  one  half  inches. 

Copy  in  them  the  addresses  given  above. 

Notice  how  the  words  are  placed  and  what 
punctuation  marks  are  used. 

The  first  address  is  for  a  person  living  in  a  small 
town,  where  people  go  to  the  post  office  for  mail,  or 
where  everybody  is  so  well  known  that  it  is  not 
necessary  to  write  the  street  and  number. 

The  second  is  for  a  person  living  in  a  large  city, 
and  contains  all  the  direction  necessary  to  tell  the 
postman  where  to  take  the  letter. 

The  third  envelope  is  for  a  person  living  in  the 
country,  where  there  is  a  mail  carrier  going  about  in 
a  wagon  and  leaving  mail  at  the  houses.  "  R.  F.  D." 
means  Rural  Free  Delivery,  and  No.  1  means  the 
number  of  the  mail  carrier,  or  the  route  he  travels. 

All  envelopes  when  addressed  should  have  the  name 
and  title  of  the  person  addressed,  the  town  or  city,  and 
the  state,  in  this  order  : 


166  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

NamC) 

Town  or  City, 
State. 
If  the  letter  is  sent  to  a  city,  the  street  and  number 
should  be  written  on  the  line  below  the  name.  If  it  is 
sent  to  the  country  where  there  is  a  mail  carrier,  the  let- 
ters **R.  F.  D.*'  and  the  number  of  the  route  should  be 
put  in  the  lower  left-hand  corner. 

Write  addresses  such  as  you  would  put  on 
envelopes  for  letters   to  the  following  people : 

H.  C.  Atterbury,  who  lives  in  Windham,  Maine, 
on  rural  free  delivery  route  number  two. 

Mr.  George  L.  Wilson,  who  lives  at  364  Lincoln 
Avenue,  St.  Paul,  Minnesota. 

Miss  Edith  A.  Scott,  who  lives  at  274  East 
Avenue,  Rochester,  New  York. 

Miss  Sarah  C.  Brooks,  Principal  of  the  Normal 
School,  Baltimore,  Maryland. 

LXV 

OCEANUS   HOPKINS 

Reproduction 
Read : 

Long,  long  ago  a  ship  full  of  people  was  sailing 
across  the  ocean  to  this  land.  These  people  were 
called  Pilgrims.  Pilgrim  means  wanderer^  and  these 
people  were  wandering  from  place  to  place  in  search 
of  a  home  where  they  could  worship  God  as  they 
thought  right. 


BOOK   ONE  167 

The  ship  was  a  sailing  vessel  and  not  very  large. 
Few  would  think  now  of  crossing  the  ocean  in  so  small 
a  vessel.  But  the  Pilgrims  were  brave  men  and 
women,  and  were  not  afraid  of  anything  when  they 
thought  they  were  in  the  right.  So  they  made  this 
long  and  dangerous  journey  across  the  wide  ocean  to 
the  New  World. 

They  were  many,  many  days  upon  the  deep.  On 
one  of  those  days  a  little  baby  boy  was  born.  How 
the  women  all  rejoiced,  and  what  care  they  took  of  the 
new  baby  who  had  never  seen  land ! 

Because  he  was  born  on  the  ocean,  they  named  him 
Oceanus  —  Oceanus  Hopkins. 

Conversation  : 

Tell  this  story  in  class. 

Find  out  any  more  facts  that  you  can  about 
Oceanus  and  tell  them  in  class. 

Written  Exercise : 

What  was  the  baby's  given  name  ? 
What  name  was  his  surname  ? 
Write  the  whole  story. 

LXVI 

"DOWN  TO   SLEEP" 

Word  Study 

Read  and  study : 

November  woods  are  bare  and  still ; 
November  days  are  clear  and  bright ; 


168  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Each  noon  burns  up  the  morning  chill ; 
The  morning's  snow  is  gone  by  night. 
Each  day  my  steps  grow  slow,  grow  light, 
As  through  the  woods  I  reverent  creep. 
Watching  all  things  lie  "  down  to  sleep." 

I  never  knew  before  what  beds, 

Fragrant  to  smell  and  soft  to  touch, 

The  forest  sifts  and  shapes  and  spreads. 

I  never  knew  before  how  much 

Of  human  sound  there  is  in  such 

Low  tones  as  through  the  forest  sweep. 

When  all  wild  things  lie  "down  to  sleep." 

Each  day  I  find  new  coverlids 

Tucked  in,  and  more  sweet  eyes  shut  tight ; 

Sometimes  the  viewless  mother  bids 

Her  ferns  kneel  down,  full  in  my  sight ; 

I  hear  their  chorus  of  "good-night  "; 

And  half  I  smile  and  half  I  weep, 

Listening  while  they  lie  "  down  to  sleep.'* 

Helbn  Hunt  Jackson. 

Study  the  following  words  in  the  poem  until 
you  are  sure  of  their  meanings.  See  if  you  can  use 
any  other  words  in  their  places.  If  you  can,  which 
do  you  like  better  ?     Why  ? 

Words  to  study  : 

Stanza  I: 

hare,  stilly  hums  up,  reverent,  creep. 


BOOK  ONE  169 

Stanza  II: 

fragrant^  sifts,  shapes,  spreads^  low,  sweep. 

Stanza  III : 

coverlids,  tucked  in,  sweet,  viewless,  kneel  down, 
chorus. 

Find  all  the  pictures  you  can  in  the  verses. 
What  does  the  poet  mean  by  beds  and  coverlids  f 

LXVII 

THANKSGIVING   LESSONS 
Review 

These  lessons  are  to  be  studied  about  Thanks- 
giving time ;  they  will  take  several  days.  Your 
teacher  will  ask  some  questions  for  conversation 
and  written  exercises,  and  you  can  ask  yourselves 
others.  After  the  study  of  each  section,  write  the 
story  in  good  paragraphs,  or  tell  it,  as  your  teacher 
directs. 

1 

The  Pilgrims 
Conversation : 

Topics : 

Who  the  Pilgrims  were. 
Why  they  left  their  native  land. 
What  sort  of  people  they  were. 
Who  their  leaders  were. 


170  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Their  ships  and  the  preparation  they  made  for 

the  journey. 

2 

Life  in  Holland 

To  what  country  did  they  first  sail  ?     Why  ? 

What  did  they  do  there?  How  long  did  they 
stay  ?     Why  did  they  leave  ? 

Describe  their  preparation  for  their  second  voyage. 

Did  they  know  anything  about  the  land  they 
were  going  to  ? 

Do  you  think  it  required  courage  to  make  this 
voyage  ?     Why  ? 

Describe  the  voyage. 

What  do  you  recall  of  Oceanus  Hopkins  ? 

With  your  teacher's  help  make  lessons  on  each 
of  the  following  topics,  filling  out  the  outlines : 

(3)  The  Landing. 

(4)  Incidents  of  the  First  Winter. 

(5)  The  Return  of  the  Mayjioioer. 

(6)  The  First  Spring  and  Summer  and  Fall. 

(7)  The  First  Thanksgiving. 

Lxvni 

THE  NEWSBOY 

Capitals  in  Headings 
Conversation : 

This  is  a  picture  of  a  boy  who  gets  up  at  four 
o'clock  every  morning. 


BOOK  ONE 


171 


Discuss : 

Why  he  gets  up  so  early. 

What  he  has  under  his  arm 

Where  he  got  the  papers. 

Whether  he  will 
sell  them  all. 

Why  some  news- 
boys sell  more 
papers  than  others. 

Is  the  life  of  a 
newsboy  an  easy 
or  a  difficult  one  ? 
Why? 

Find  out  all  you 
can  about  the  news- 
boys of  your  town. 
Tell  where  they 
live,  why  they  sell 
papers,  where  they 
sell  them,  how 
much  money  they 
make. 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  a  story 
about  one  of  them. 

If  you  have  ever  been  a  newsboy,  write  your 
experiences. 


172  ENGLISH  LESSONS 

Conversation: 

Have  people  always  had  newspapers  ? 

In  what  way  do  newspapers  help  us  ? 

What  is  the  man  at  the  head  of  the  newspaper 
called?     What  does  he  do ? 

How  many  newspapers  do  you  know  that  are 
published  in  your  town  ?     Write  their  names. 

Write  on  the  blackboard  or  on  paper  the 
names  of  all  the  papers  that  you  know  or  have  in 
your  homes. 

With  what  kind  of  letter  does  each  word  in  the 
name  of  a  paper  begin  ? 

Write  a  rule  for  this.  When  your  teacher  ap- 
proves of  the  rule,  copy  it  in  your  notebook. 

LXIX 

JAMES  WATT 

Reproduction 
Bead : 

James  Watt  was  the  first  man  to  make  a  steam  en- 
gine that  would  draw  a  wagon  or  a  car.  He  never 
would  have  succeeded  in  doing  this,  if  he  had  not 
learned  when  a  boy  to  do  three  things. 

He  learned  to  observe  closely  what  was  going  on 
about  him,  so  that  he  saw  many  things  which  others 
often  did  not  notice  at  all.  He  also  learned  to  think 
about  what  he  observed,  and  to  find  out  the  causes. 
The  third  thing  that  he  learned  was  to  use  tools  skill- 
fully. 


BOOK  ONE 


173 


WATT  DISCOVERING  THE   POWER   OF  STEAM 


James  was  not  a  strong  boy  and  he  could  not  play 
much  with  the  other  boys.  So  his  mother  gave  him  a 
set  of  tools,  and  he  played  and  worked  with  them,  until 
he  could  use  them  handily  and  make  a  great  many 
things.     This  was  his  manual  training^  and  he  found  it 


174  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

very  useful  when  he  became  a  man,  and  especially 
when  he  was  making  his  steam  engine. 

He  was  always  a  close  observer,  and  even  when  a  little 
boy,  was  watching  and  watching  to  see  what  he  could 
find  out,  especially  in  nature.  This  was  his  nature 
study. 

One  day  James  was  visiting  his  aunt.  There  was  a 
tea  kettle  on  the  fire,  and  he  watched  it  for  a  long  time. 
His  aunt  thought  he  was  idle  and  at  length  said  to 
him: 

"  I  never  saw  such  an  idle  boy  as  you  are.  Take  a 
book  or  do  something  useful.  For  the  last  hour  you 
have  not  spoken  one  word,  but  you  have  been  taking 
off  the  lid  of  that  tea  kettle  and  putting  it  on  again, 
holding  now  a  cup  and  now  a  silver  spoon  over  the 
steam,  watching  how  it  rises  from  the  spout,  catching 
and  counting  the  drops  as  they  fall.  Are  you  not 
ashamed  of  spending  your  time  in  that  way  ?" 

But  James  was  not  idle.  He  was  observing,  and 
when  he  became  a  great  man  and  came  to  make  steam 
engines,  his  manual  training  and  his  nature  study  he 
found  were  among  his  best  friends. 

Tell  this  story. 

If  you  can  find  any  other  stories  of  Watt,  tell 
them  in  class. 

Conversation : 

Name  all  the  uses  of  steam  that  you  can  think  of. 
Tell  about  the  largest  steam  engine  you  ever  saw. 
Should  you  like  to  be  an  engineer?     Why? 


BOOK   ONE  175 

LXX 

THE   SICK   FRIEND 

1 

Study  of  a  Picture 
Conversation : 

Who  is  the  sick  friend  ? 

What  do  you  think  is  the  matter  with  him  ? 

What  is  the  taller  girl  doing  ? 

Tell  as  long  a  story  as  you  can  from  the  picture. 

Written  Exercise: 

Write  a  paragraph  describing  the  wagon  and 
what  it  contains. 

Write  another  describing  the  doctor  as  you 
imagine  him. 

Write  in  three  paragraphs  the  story  of  the  picture. 

Give  names  to  all  the  children,  both  surnames 
and  given  names,  and  write  their  conversation 
with  the  doctor. 

Select  the  best  conversation.  Copy  it  on  the 
blackboard.     Then  choose  parts  and  act  the  story. 

2 
Good  Usage: 

The  children  bring  their  sick  friend  to  the  doctor. 
One  of  the  boys  draws  the  wagon. 
The  larger  girl  rings  the  bell. 
The  children  ask  to  see  the  doctor. 
He  comes  to  the  door. 


176 


ENGLISH   LESSONS 


THE  SICK  FRIEND 


BOOK  ONE  177 

He  speaks  kindly  to  the  children. 

He  gives  them  medicine  for  the  sick  dog. 

See  if  you  can  change  each  of  the  words  in  italics, 
first  to  the  past  form,  then  to  the  form  used  with 
]ias  or  have.  If  you  do  not  know  the  right  words 
your  teacher  will  help  you. 

Write  the  altered  sentences. 

When  you  are  sure  that  you  have  used  the  right 
words,  write  them  in  lists,  beginning  with  the 
words  found  in  the  sentences.     Use  these  headings : 

Ex. 

Present  Form        Past  Form       Form  used  with  Have 

bring  brought  brought 

3 
Oral  Exercise : 

Answer  these  questions,  using  complete  sen- 
tences : 

Has  the  school  bell  rung  ? 

Who  rang  it  ? 

Did  it  ring  loudly  ? 

Has  it  rung  before  ? 

Who  drew  the  picture  on  the  blackboard  ? 

How  many  of  you  have  drawn  pictures  on  the 
blackboard  ? 

Tell  what  pictures  you  drew  when  you  were 
studying  "  Beowulf." 

How  should  we  speak  to  one  another? 

Have  you  ever  spoken  unkindly  ? 


178  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

What  did  you  bring  to  school  this  moraing  ? 
Who  brought  the  flowers  in  the  vase  ? 

To  the  Teacher :   lleview  verb  forms  frequently,  one  or  two  verbs 
at  a  time,  by  means  of  brief  conversations. 


LXXI 

BIRDS 

Stories  for  Oral  Reproduction 

1 

Our  Birds 

Memorize : 

God  sent  his  singers  upon  earth 
With  songs  of  gladness  and  of  mirth, 
That  they  might  touch  the  hearts  of  men 
And  bring  them  back  to  heaven  again. 

Longfellow. 

Read  the  following  stories  to  yourselves,   then 
tell  them  in  class. 

2 


Jack 


Read  and  tell : 


Mr.  Haven  had  a  pet  crow,  Jack,  of  which  he  was 
very  fond.  One  day  Jack  disappeared,  and  all  sup- 
posed that  he  had  been  killed. 

Nearly  a  year  afterward,  Mr.  Haven  was  standing  on 
the  river  bank  with  some  other  gentlemen  when  a  flock 
of  crows  flew  over.  Suddenly  one  of  them  left  the 
flock  and  lighted  on  Mr.  Haven's  shoulder  and  began 


BOOK   ONE  179 

to  chatter  to  him  most  loudly,  much  to  the  amusement 
and  astonishment  of  the  other  gentlemen.  It  was  Jack, 
who  had  dropped  down  to  make  a  call  on  his  old  friend. 
But  when  Mr.  Haven  tried  to  catch  him.  Jack  flew 
away  and  he  never  came  back.  He  had  learned  the 
joy  of  freedom. 

3 

The  Robin's  Nest 

Read  and  tell  : 

One  morning  the  sexton  went  into  church  to  make 
sure  that  all  was  clean  and  in  good  order  before  the 
people  came. 

He  saw  something  on  the  pulpit  that  made  him  open 
his  eyes  in  wonder.  It  was  a  robin's  nest  built  under 
the  shelf,  and  it  had  two  blue  eggs  in  it.  The  sexton 
thought  of  a  Bible  verse  and  did  not  disturb  the  nest. 

In  time  the  old  bird  laid  two  more  eggs  ;  then  she 
sat  on  them  to  hatch  them.  Soon  there  were  four  little 
naked  robins  in  the  nest  on  the  pulpit.  They  stayed 
there  till  they  grew  up,  and  the  old  bird  used  to  come 
in  and  feed  them  during  the  service. 


The  Mourner  Comforted 

Read  and  tell : 

A  pair  of  royal  cranes  from  Africa  were  kept  in  a 
bird  house  in  England.  After  a  time  one  of  them  was 
taken  sick  and  died. 

The  other  mourned  for  him  and  pined  away  till  the 
people  thought  he  would  die. 

Then  some  one  put  a  large  looking-glass  into  the 


180  ENGLISH  LESSONS 

cage.  The  crane  saw  himself  in  it  and  thought  it  was 
his  mate.  He  used  to  walk  back  and  forth  before  it  and 
make  gestures,  which  the  bird  in  the  glass  answered. 

The  crane  was  comforted  for  his  loss.     He  got  well 
and  lived  several  years. 

Conversation: 

Tell  these  stories  in  class. 
Tell  other  stories  about  birds. 
What  does  Mr.  stand  for  ? 
Why  is  the  period  placed  after  it  ? 

Written  Exercise: 

Write  a  story  of  birds  that  you  have  seen  or 
heard  about. 

LXXII 

THE   LITTLE   CHRISTMAS   TREE 

Prose  and  Poetry 

1 
Read  and  Study : 

The   Christmas  Day  was  coming,  the   Christmas   Eve 

drew  near  ; 
The  fir  trees  they  were  talking  low  at  midnight  cold 

and  clear. 
And  this  was  what  the  fir  trees  said,   all  in  the  pale 

moonlight  :  J 

"  Now  which  of  us  shall  chosen  be  to  grace  the  holy 

night  ?  " 

The  tall  trees  and  the  goodly  trees  raised  each  a  lofty 
head, 


BOOK   ONE  181 

In  glad  and  secret  confidence,  though  not  a  word  they 

said  ; 
But  one,  the  baby  of  the  band,  could  not  restrain  a  sigh: 
"  You  all  will  be  approved,"  he  said,  "  but  oh,   what 

chance  have  I  ? 

"  I  am  so  small,  so  very  small,  no  one  will  mark  or  know 
How   thick   and  green   my  needles  are,  how  true  my 

branches  grow. 
Few  toys  or  candles  could  I  hold,  but  heart  and  will 

are  free, 
And  in  my  heart  of  hearts  I  know  I  am  a  Christmas 

Tree." 

The  Christmas  angel  hovered  near ;  be  caught  the 
grieving  word, 

And  laughing  low  he  hurried  forth,  with  love  and  pity 
stirred. 

He  sought  and  found  St.  Nicholas,  the  dear  old  Christ- 
mas saint, 

And  in  his  fatherly,  kind  ear  rehearsed  the  fir  tree's 
plaint. 

Saints  are  all  powerful,  we  know,  so  it  befell  that  day 
That,  ax  on  shoulder,  to  the  grove  a  woodman  took  his 

way. 
One  baby  girl  he  had  at  home,  and  he  went  forth  to  find 
A  little  tree  as  small  as  she,  just  suited  to  his  mind. 

Oh,  glad  and  proud  the  baby  fir,  amidst  its  brethren 

tall, 
To  be  thus  chosen  and  singled  out,  the  first  among  them 

all! 


182  ENGLISH    LESSONS 

He  stretched  his  fragrant  branches,  his  little  heart  beat 

•  fast. 
He  was  a  real  Christmas  Tree  ;  he  had  his  wish  at  last. 

One  large  and  shining  apple,  with  cheeks  of  ruddy  gold, 
Six  tapers  and  a  tiny  doll,  were  all  that  he  could  hold. 
The  baby  laughed,  the  baby  crowed,  to  see  the  tapers 

bright  : 
The  forest  baby  felt  the  joy,  and  shared  in  the  delight. 

And  when  at  last  the  tapers  died,  and  when  the  baby 

slept. 
The  little  fir  in  silent  night  a  patient  vigil  kept. 
Though  scorched  and  brown  his  needles  were,  he  had  no 

heart  to  grieve  ; 
"  I  have  not  lived,  in  vain,"  he  said.     *'  Thank  God  for 

Christmas  Eve  !  "  Susan  Coolidge. 


Poetry 
Conversation : 

"  The  Little  Christmas  Tree  "  is  a  poem.  The 
stories  in  the  last  lesson  are  called  prose.  What 
differences  do  you  see  ? 

Read  aloud  the  first  paragraph  of  "  Jack  "  in  the 
last  lesson  (page  179). 

To  the  Teacher  :  Discus?s  with  the  class  the  following  topics  : 
Difference  between  prose  and  poetry.  1.  In  form— ryhthm,  rhyme, 
meter.  2.  In  character  —  figures  of  speech,  pictures  in  words.  For 
example:  Trees  talking.  Trees /eeZmgf  proud,  sad,  glad.  A  Christ- 
mas Tree  in  heart.  Pictures  in  the  last  stanza.  Never  paraphrase  a 
poem. 


BOOK  ONE  183 

Read  the  first  stanza  of  the  poem  aloud. 

What  difference  do  you  notice  in  the  sound  ? 

In  reading  the  poem  aloud,  notice  whether  the  syl- 
lables that  you  accent  are  the  same  distance  apart. 

How  is  it  with  the  story  of  Jack  ? 

In  which  do  you  find  rhymes  ? 

Which  could  you  sing  ? 

Do  trees  talk? 

Do  trees  feel  proud,  or  sad,  or  glad  ? 

In  which,  prose  or  poetry,  is  it  more  common 
to  speak  of  trees  as  talking  or  feeling? 

In  which  do  you  find  more  pictures  in  the 
words,  the  poem  or  the  prose  ? 

What  pictures  can  you  find  in  the  first  two 
stanzas  that  seem  to  you  more  like  poetry  than 
prose? 

Which  do  you  like  better,  poetry  or  prose  ? 
Why? 

Which  can  you  remember  better  ? 

3 

Study  of  the  Poem 
Conversation: 

Tell  what  pictures  you  can  find  in  each  stanza. 

Make  a  list  of  all  the  words  that  describe  in  the 
second  stanza.  Be  sure  that  you  know  w^hat  each 
of  these  words  means.  Try  to  put  some  other  in 
its  place  and  see  which  is  better  and  why. 


184  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

For  example,  in  the  sentence  : 

"  The  tall  trees  and  the  goodly  trees  raised  each 
a  lofty  head."  Could  you  use  long  in  the  place  of 
tall  ?     Could  you  use  high  ?  lofty  f 

Try  similar  experiments  with  goodly  and  lofty. 

Was  the  little  fir  tree  right  when  he  said,  "  I 
have  not  lived  in  vain"  ? 

Did  he  do  well  to  be  satisfied  with  his  life? 
Why? 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  in  good  sentences  what  you  think  are  the 
differences  between  poetry  and  prose. 

Write  in  a  paragraph  what  lesson  you  think  this 
poem  teaches. 

4 

Catch  —  Caught 
Good  Usage : 

In  the  fourth  stanza  of  "  The  Little  Christmas 
Tree  "  notice  the  word  caught. 

How  would  you  change  it  to  tell  what  the  angel 
is  doing  now  ? 

What  would  you  say  after  has? 

Oral  Exercise : 

What  do  cats  catch  ? 
What  did  your  cat  catch  ? 
What  do  spiders  catch  ? 
What  did  the  dog  catch  ? 


BOOK   ONE  185 

Who  catches  the  ball  best  ? 
Who  caught  the  ball  ? 
Was  the  runaway  horse  caught  ? 
Who  caught  hini  ? 

Be  careful  to  pronounce  catch  properly.  Don't 
say  ketch. 

LXXIII 

A  DIARY 

1 
Read : 

A  diary  is  a  record  kept  from  day  to  day  of  what 
one  has  done  and  what  has  happened,  especially 
what  has  been  interesting  or  has  seemed  important. 

Here  are  a  few  selections  from  the  diary  of 
Anna  Green  Winslow,  a  little  girl  who  lived  long 
ago  in  Nova  Scotia.  She  was  visiting  her  aunts 
in  Boston  and  put  down  in  her  diary  what  inter- 
ested her  most.  If  you  think  her  language  a  bit 
queer,  remember  that  she  wrote  a  long  time  ago, 
when  people  spoke  and  wrote  as  Anna  did. 

April  24th. — I  drank  tea  at  Aunt  Sukey's.  Aunt 
Stover  was  there.  She  seemed  to  be  in  charming  good 
health  and  spirits. 

My  cousin,  Charles  Green,  seems  to  grow  a  little  fat, 
—  pretty  boy ;  but  he  is  very  light. 

My  Aunt  Stover  lent  me  three  of  Cousin  Charles's 
books  to  read,  "  The  Puzzling  Cap,"  "  The  Female  Ora- 
tors," and  the  "History  of  Gaffer  Two  Shoes." 


186  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

April  25th.  —  I  learned  three  stitches  on  net  work 
to-day. 

April  27th.  —  I  dined  at  Aunt  Stover's  and  spent  the 
afternoon  at  Aunt  Sukey's. 

June  Ist,  —  All  last  week  till  Saturday  was  very  cold 
and  rainy.  Aunt  Deming  kept  me  within  doors.  There 
were  no  schools  because  of  the  election  of  councilors 
and  other  public  doings.  I  saw  the  governor  and  his 
train  of  life  guards  ride  by  in  state. 

Conversation : 

Do  you  think  Anna  had  a  good  time  visiting  in 
Boston  ? 

What  titles  do  you  find  in  Anna's  diary  ?  With 
what  letters  do  they  begin  ? 

Give  reasons  for  the  use  of  all  the  capital  letters 
used  in  this  diary. 

What  was  Anna's  surname?  What  was  her 
given  name  ? 


Keeping  a  Diary 

It  is  well  to  keep  a  diary.  It  is  interesting  and 
sometimes  it  is  very  useful  to  be  able  to  tell  just 
what  you  did  and  just  what  happened  on  any  cer- 
tain day  in  the  past. 

You  can  buy  a  little  book  already  prepared  with 
a  space  for  each  day  of  the  year,  or  you  can  take 
an  ordinary  notebook  and  make  a  diary  of  it  for 
yourself.     The  book  that  you  make  yourself  has 


BOOK  ONE  187 

this  advantage,  that  you  can  use  as  much  or  as 
little  space  as  you  wish  each  day. 

If  you  make  your  own  diary,  make  a  title  page 
like  the  following  : 

DIARY 

OF 

HAROLD    SMITH 

FOR   THE  YEAR 

1906 

You  can  adorn  this  page  with  your  own  designs, 
plain  or  in  color. 

Put  as  a  heading  over  each  entry  the  day  of  the 
week  and  month,  as : 

Monday,  January  1. 

Then  write  whatever  has  interested  you  most, 
what  you  consider  the  most  important  events  of 
the  day,  and  what  you  think  you  will  be  most 
likely  to  want  to  remember  in  the  future. 

Diaries  are  usually  private,  to  be  read  by  the 
writer  only,  but  some  people  have  written  diaries 
giving  accounts  of  great  events,  which  many  have 
been  glad  to  read  afterward. 

If  each  member  of  the  class  keeps  a  diary  as  a 
class  exercise,  it  will  be  better  to  write  in  it  such 
things  as  may  interest  all.  You  may  keep  a  private 
diary  too. 


188  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

LXXIV 

THE  HOME  OF   THE  VICAR  OF  WAKEFIELD 

A  Description  —  Choice  of  Words 
Head : 

At  the  foot  of  a  sloping  hill,  and  sheltered  with  a 
beautiful  underwood  behind  and  a  prattling  river  before, 
stands  a  little  low  English  cottage  with  thatched  roof 
and  vine-covered  porch.  Adjoining  the  house  is  a  neat 
garden  with  sweet  old-fashioned  flowers  and  a  long  row 
of  gooseberry  bushes,  and  near  by,  a  rustic  seat  shaded 
by  a  hedge  of  hawthorn  and  honeysuckle. 

Oliver  Goldsmith. 

Conversation : 

Read  each  sentence  carefully  until  you  see  the 
picture. 

Tell  just  what  you  see  in  each. 

Discuss  each  word  that  describes  in  this  descrip- 
tion and  see  if  you  can  use  any  other  word  in  its 
place  just  as  well;  for  example,  the  first  one, 
sloping. 

Just  what  does  sloping  mean  ? 

Try  in  its  place,  loio,  long,  steep,  and  other 
words. 

Find  other  descriptions  in  books  or  papers  and 
read  them  in  class. 

Which  ones  make  you  see  pictures  clearly  ? 

Describe  your  schoolhouse  or  your  own  house, 
trying  to  use  words  that  call  up  pictures. 


BOOK  ONE  189 

Expressive  Activities  : 

Paint  a  picture  of  the  house  and  yard  as  Gold- 
smith describes  it. 

Represent  the  house  and  yard  on  the  sand-table, 
making  for  manual-training  exercises  as  many  of 
the  things  described  as  you  can. 

LXXV 

THINGS   TO   TALK   AND   WRITE   ABOUT 

How  to  build  a  fire. 
How  to  make  a  bed. 
How  to  sweep  and  dust  a  room. 
How  to  feed  and  care  for  a  pet  rabbit  or  any 
other  pet  animal. 

How  to  make  a  bird  house. 
How  to  make  a  window  box. 
How  to  make  an  aquarium. 
How  to  play  the  games  : 

The  Farmer  in  the  Dell. 

The  King  of  France. 

London  Bridge. 
How  to  make  a  whistle. 
How  to  make  a  kite. 
How  to  make  a  bow  and  arrow. 
How  to  make  a  popgun. 
How  to  make  a  pinwheel. 
How  to  make  a  weather  vane. 
How  to  harness  a  horse. 


190  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

When  you  have  talked  about  these  things  and 
have  decided  upon  the  best  way  of  doing  them, 
write  a  full  and  accurate  description  of  one. 

Read  in  class  what  you  have  written. 

LXXVI     . 

WASHINGTON 

Yes  and  No  —  Quotations  —  How  to  show  Possession 

1 
Read : 

It  is  recess  at  school.  The  boys  are  all  excited  — 
all  but  one.  George  Washington  sits  apart  under 
a  tree,  reading.  The  champion  wrestler  of  the  county 
is  there  and  is  wrestling  with  the  big  boys.  Down 
they  go,  one  after  another,  until  no  one  dares  to  wrestle 
with  the  big  fellow  who  struts  proudly  about,  daring 
them.  Then  they  think  of  the  boy  reading  under  the 
tree  and  all  rush  over  to  him.  "  Come,  George,  come 
and  wrestle."  "No,"  answers  George,  "  I  want  to  read." 
"Oh,  he  is  afraid,"  sneers  the  boastful  champion,  "that's 
why  he  wants  to  read."  This  is  too  much.  "It  is,  is 
it?"  says  George,  throwing  down  his  book  and  spring- 
ing to  his  feet.  "  Come  on,  then,  I'll  wrestle  with  you." 
And  they  begin.  In  a  twinkling  it  is  all  over.  George's 
boastful  foe  lies  helpless  on  his  back.  Telling  of  it 
afterward,  he  said,  "  I  felt  myself  grasped  and  hurled 
upon  the  ground  with  a  jar  that  shook  the  marrow 
of  my  bones." 

Tell  this  story  in  class. 


BOOK  ONE  191 

Who  says  "  Come,  George,  come  and  wrestle  "  ? 

It  is  called  a  quotation,  because  it  gives  the  exact 
words  of  the  speaker. 

What  are  the  marks  ("  ")  used  with  the  quota- 
tion called  ? 

Copy  in  your  notebooks : 

A  quotation  begins  with  a  capital  and  is  inclosed  in 
quotation  marks. 

Copy  all  the  quotations  in  "  Washington." 
Observe  that  in  the   sentence,  '^  '  No/  answers 
George,  '  I  want  to  read,'  "  No  begins  with  a  capi- 
tal and  is  followed  by  a  comma. 

Yes  and  no  used  in  answering  questions  always  begin 
with  capital  letters  and  are  usually  followed  by  commas, 
except  at  the  end  of  a  sentence. 


Look  at  the  quotation  beginning  with  "  No." 
What  words  divide  it  into  two  parts  ? 

What  words  divide  the  next  quotation  ? 

Quotations  that  are  separated  into  parts  are  called 
divided  quotations. 

Notice  how  the  quotation  marks  are  used  in  di- 
vided quotations.  ^ 

Does  the  second  part  of  the  quotation  begin  with 
a  capital  letter  ? 

Be  careful  to  write  divided  quotations  correctly. 


192  ENGLISH    LESSONS 

LXXVII 

PICTURE   STUDY 

Nouns  and  Woi'ds  that  Describe 
Conversation : 

Look  closely  at  .the  picture  on  the  opposite  page. 

Give  it  a  name.     Give  names  to  the  people  in  it. 

Tell  what  they  are  doing,  who  is  having  the 
best  time,  whether  they  are  rich  or  poor,  and  why 
you  think  so. 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  in  a  list  the  names  of  all  the  things  that 
you  see  in  the  picture. 

Write  opposite  each  name  a  w^ord  describing  the 
thing  named. 

Write  a  story  about  "  Baby's  Fishing." 

LXXVIII 
HYACINTHUS 

Word  Study  —  Review 
Read : 

Hyacinthus  was  a  boy  whom  the  great  siin-god  Apollo 
loved.  He  was  brave,  strong,  handsome,  and  skillful  in 
all  sports.  So  fond  was  Apollo  of  the  boy  that  he  used 
to  go  often  with  him  to  play  such  games  as  Hyacinthus 
enjoyed. 


BOOK  ONE 


193 


194  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

One  day  they  were  pitching  quoits.  Apollo  lilted 
the  iron  disk  and  hurled  it  with  great  strength  and  per- 
fect skill.  Hyacinthus,  who  was  watching  and  eager  for 
his  turn  to  throw,  rushed  after  the  quoit  to  bring  it  back. 
It  struck  the  hard  ground  and,  bounding  up,  hit  the 
beautiful  boy  on  the  forehead  and  felled  him  to  the 
earth. 

Apollo  ran  to  him  and  picked  up  his  lifeless  form. 
He  sought  to  stanch  the  wound,  but  in  vain  ;  the  blow 
had  been  fatal.  The  great  god  mourned  for  the  boy 
and  promised  that  he  would  make  him  immortal.  As 
he  spoke,  lo !  from  the  ground,  wet  with  the  blood  of 
the  youth,  sprang  a  beautiful  flower,  which  to  this  clay 
fulfills  the  promise  of  Apollo  to  his  loved  Hyacinthus. 

Conversation : 

After  reading  the  story,  tell  it. 
Find  other  stories  about  the  origin  of  flowers, 
and  tell  them  in  class. 

Written  Exercise : 

Make  a  list  of  all  the  names  of  persons  or  things 
in  the  story  of  Hyacinthus ;  of  all  the  words  that 
describe  persons  or  things. 

Write  opposite  each  singular  noun  its  plural,  and 
opposite  each  plural  noun  its  singular  form. 

Read  the  first  line,  using  big  and  large  instead  of 
great.     Do  you  like  them  as  well  ?     Why  ? 

Use  other  words  for  brave,  strong,  handsome,  and 
skillful.     Do  you  find  any  that  you  like  as  well  ? 


BOOK   ONE  195 

Try  other  words  for  all  the  words  that  describe 
in  the  story.  In  each  case  tell  which  word  you 
like  better  and  why. 

LXXIX 

CHRISTOPHER   LUDWICK 

Review  of  Capitals 
Read : 

In  the  War  of  the  Revolution  a  humble  baker  in 
Philadelphia  proved  himself  one  of  the  bravest  patriots 
and  one  of  the  most  useful  men  in  the  colonies.  His 
name  was  Christopher  Ludwick. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  war  it  was  thought  that 
the  British  were  coming  to  attack  Philadelphia.  The 
people  were  much  frightened  and  greatly  excited.  A 
meeting  was  held  to  raise  mone}^  for  the  defense  of  the 
city.  But  the  task  seemed  so  great  that  the  men 
hesitated  to  give  at  all.  Then  Christopher  Ludwick 
arose  in  the  meeting  and  said,  "  Mr.  President,  I  am 
but  a  poor  gingerbread  baker,  but  put  my  name  down 
for  two  hundred  pounds."  That  was  about  one  thou- 
sand dollars  and  would  buy  much  more  than  a  thou- 
sand dollars  would  now.  After  that  the  other  men 
could  not  refuse  to  give,  and  the  money  was  quickly 
raised. 

Later  the  British  were  coming  to  attack  Philadelphia 
again.  The  army  was  discouraged ;  the  men  liad  not 
been  paid  and  there  was  not  enough  good  food  to  eat. 
The  soldiers,  many  of  them,  were  ready  to  give  up  and 
go  home. 


196  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Then  Christopher  Ludwick  again  showed  his  patriot- 
ism. He  went  to  the  men,  fell  on  his  knees  before 
them,  and  said,  "  Brother  soldiers,  listen  for  a  moment 
to  Christopher  Ludwick.  When  we  hear  the  cry  of 
fire  in  Philadelphia,  on  the  hill  at  a  distance  from  us, 
we  fly  there  with  our  buckets  to  keep  it  from  our 
houses.  So  let  us  keep  the  great  fire  of  the  British 
army  from  our  town.  In  a  few  days  you  shall  have 
good  bread  and  enough  of  it."  The  men  stayed,  and, 
true  to  his  word,  Ludwick  built  a  great  bakery  and 
supplied  the  army  at  Philadelphia  with  bread. 

He  became  a  friend  of  General  Washington,  who 
called  him  "my  honest  Ludwick."  Later  Congress 
appointed  him  Superintendent  of  Bakers  and  Director 
of  Baking  for  the  Colonial  Armies.  Superintendent 
Ludwick  saw  that  good  bread  was  supplied  to  the  sol- 
diers and  did  his  business  honestly,  refusing  to  make 
money  for  himself. 

The  honesty,  skill,  and  patriotism  of  Christopher 
Ludwick  were  among  the  causes  that  made  it  possible 
for  the  patriot  army  to  fight  to  the  end  and  win  inde- 
pendence for  the  new  nation. 

Tell,  this  story  in  class. 

Conversation : 

How  many  paragraphs  are  there  in  the  story  ? 
Read  it  carefully.  Would  you  divide  it  differently? 
Why  ? 

Why  is  a  comma  used  after  Mr.  President  in  the 
fourth  paragraph  ?  Find  another  comma  that  is 
used  for  the  same  reason. 


BOOK   ONE  197 

Look  over  the  rules  for  capital  letters  in  your 
notebook  and  pick  out  from  this  story  as  many 
words  as  you  can  that  belong  under  each  rule. 

Written  Exercise: 

Write  what  you  think  of  Christopher  Ludwick. 
Make  a  list  of  the  words  used  to  describe  him. 

LXXX 

RECIPE  FOR  CANDY  FUDGE 

Take  a  cup  of  brown  sugar,  a  cup  of  granulated 
sugar,  and  a  cup  of  milk.  Mix  them  well  in  a 
kettle  and  put  it  over  the  fire.  When  the  mixture 
begins  to  boil,  add  a  piece  of  butter,  about  as  large 
as  a  walnut,  and  one  fourth  of  a  cake  of  chocolate. 

To  find  out  when  the  sirup  has  boiled  enough, 
drop  a  spoonful  into  cold  water.  If  it  hardens  so 
that  you  can  make  it  into  a  ball,  it  is  done.  Pour 
the  sirup  into  buttered  pans  to  cool. 

Make  candy  at  home,  following  closely  this 
recipe. 

Conversation : 

Tell  your  experiences  in  making  candy. 
How  many  sentences  do  you  find  in  this  recipe? 
What  four  things  have  we  learned  that  sentences 
do? 

Of  which  kind  are  the  sentences  in  this  recipe  ? 


198  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Written  Exercise  : 

Write  a  recipe  for  making  any  other  kind  of 
candy  or  any  article  of  food. 

LXXXI 
NEWSPAPER  ADVERTISEMENTS  AND  ANSWERS 

Read  : 

BOY  —  Wanted,  unusually  bright  office  boy,  high- 
school  education  preferred  ;  experience  not  necessary  : 
must  reside  in  Manhattan  ;  salary  $5  ;  excellent  future 
in  large  financial  corporation  ;  state  age,  etc. 

H.,  544,  Worlds  uptown. 

336  Seventh  Ave., 
New  York, 
June  7,  1905. 
H.,  544,  World: 

Please  consider  me  an  applicant  for  the  position  ad- 
vertised in  this  morning's  World. 

I  am  a  high-school  graduate,  am  seventeen  years  of 
age,  and  reside  with  my  mother,  a  teacher,  at  the  above 
address. 

I  can  give  you  references,  which  I  am  sure  will  be 
satisfactory. 

Yours  respectfully, 

Walter  B.  Miller. 

This  is  a  copy  of  an  advertisement  that  appeared 
in  a  New  York  morning  paper,  and  of  the  answer 
that  secured  the  place. 


BOOK  ONE  199 

Copy  them  carefully. 

Write  a  similar  advertisement,  changing  the  items. 

Write  an  answer  to  it. 

Look  through  the  newspapers  and  select  some 
advertisements  from  the  Want  column. 

Read  them  in  class,  and  decide  which  ones  are 
the  best. 

Write  an  advertisement  for  the  Want  column. 

Write  an  advertisement  for  a  lost  article. 

Write  an  answer  to  some  advertisement  which 
you  find  in  the  paper.  Read  it  in  class.  Discuss 
and  criticize  it,  then  rewrite  it. 

LXXXII 

A   SOLDIER   BECOMES    THE  SOLDIER 

The  and  A  —  Is,  Are,  Was,  Were 

1 
Bead  : 

There  was  a  great  war.  The  nation's  armies  were 
gathered  and  sent  against  the  enemy. 

In  a  little  village  in  the  mountains  a  little  company 
of  men  was  enlisted.  Among  them  was  a  poor  boy 
from  a  humble  cottage,  unknown  even  to  most  of  the 
others  in  the  village.  As  they  passed  through  the 
towns  and  cities  on  the  way  to  join  the  army,  they  were 
just  a  little  company  from  a  little  village  and  this  poor 
boy  was  just  a  soldier  lad  unnoticed  by  all. 

One  day  a  great  battle  occurred.  The  army  was  in 
danger.  The  enemy  were  pouring  through  a  break  in  the 
works.     They  must  be  stopped.     Who  would  volunteer  ? 


200  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Then  the  little  company  from  the  little  village  came 
forward,  and  among  them  was  the  poor,  unknown  lad. 
They  rushed  into  the  breach.  They  stopped  the  enemy. 
They  saved  the  day.  The  bravest  of  all  was  the  un- 
known lad.  Many  fell,  but  a  few  survived  and  he 
among  them.  No  longer  was  the  company  unknown. 
No  longer  was  the  lad  unnoticed.     They  were  heroes. 

The  war  was  over,  the  army  dispersed.  The  com- 
panies marched  back  to  their  homes. 

Wherever  the  little  company  from  the  little  village 
passed,  with  the  unknown  youth,  the  people  gathered  to 
see  them  and  they  said,  "  There  goes  the  company  that 
saved  the  army,  and  there  is  the  youth  who  was  first 
in  the  breach." 

And  as  they  came  to  their  own  village,  all  the  people 
met  them  with  shouts  and  cheering.  "  Here  they 
are !  Here  they  are !  The  company  has  come  home. 
See  !  Here  comes  the  captain  I  "  Who  is  he  ?  It  is 
the  boy,  the  hero. 

Tell  this  story  in  class. 

Name  all  the  nouns  in  this  story. 

Name  all  the  words  that  describe. 


The  and  A  —  7s,  Are^  TFas,  Were 
Conversation : 

A  and  the  are  two  words  that  are  much  used. 

Notice  the  word  a  in  the  second  paragraph  of 
the  story.  Notice  the  word  the  in  the  first  sen- 
tence of  the  last  paragraph. 


BOOK   ONE  201 

Do  you  see  how  a  little  company,  a  little  village, 
and  a  poor  lad  became  the  little  company,  the  little 
village,  and  the  poor  lad  ? 

Find  in  the  story  other  sentences  in  which  a  and 
the  are  used,  and  see  if  you  can  tell  the  difference 
between  them. 

A  is  used  to  show  merely  that  some  one  person  or  thing  is 
meant.  The  is  used  to  show  that  a  particular  person  or 
thing  is  meant,  or  a  particular  group  of  persons  or  things. 

Find  sentences  in  the  story  in  which  the  is  used 
before  plural  nouns.  Before  what  kind  of  nouns 
do  you  find  a  ?     Why  ? 

We  say  a  hook,  but  an  apple. 

Can  you  see  why  ? 

Which  is  easier  to  speak,  a  apple  or  an  apple  ? 
a  hook  or  an  hook  f 

A  before  a  word  beginning  with  a  vowel  sound  becomes  an. 

Oral  Exercise : 

Put  each  of  these  words  into  a  sentence,  using  a 
or  an  before  it : 

Apron,  inkstand,  history,  hour,  echo,  orange,  ori- 
ole, army,  enemy,  hero. 

Written  Exercise: 

Write  in  your  notebook  a  rule  for  the  use  of  an 
and  a. 

Study  all  the  sentences  in  the  story  containing  isj  are, 
was,  were.    Tell  why  these  words  are  used. 


202 


ENGLISH   LESSONS 


LXXXIII 

HOMES 
RevifAV  of  Paragraph 


A    WIGWAM 


A   LOG   CABIN 


Conversation : 

Discuss  the  houses  in  the  pictures  on  these  two 
pages.  Tell  how  many  of  them  you  have  seen  and 
when  and  where  you  saw  them.  If  you  live  in  one 
like  any  of  tliem,  tell  which  one.  Which  do  you 
like  best  ?     Why  ? 

Tell  all  you  can  about  the  people  who  live  in  the 
wigwam.  Tell  about  those  who  live  in  the  other 
houses  shown  in  tlie  pictures. 

Where  would  you  go  to  find  houses  like  these  ? 

What  scenery  would  you  find  about  each  house  ? 


A   rAkivi    HOUSE 


A  VILLAGE  HOUSE 


BOOK   ONE 


203 


/-^v -'--.. 


A  CITY   HOME 


AN   APARTMENT   HOUSE 


Where  do  the  people  cook,  eat,  and  sleep  ? 
Bring  to  school  all  the  pictures  of  houses  that 
you  can  find. 

Tell  all  you  can  about  these  houses. 
Tell  about  the  people  who  live  in  them. 

Written  Exercise  : 

Choose  one  of  the  houses  for  a  subject,  and  write 
a  paragraph,  telling  what  it  is  made  of,  where  it 
stands,  and  how  it  looks. 


Conversation  : 

Name  all  the  uses  of  houses  that  you  can  think 


of. 


Do  you  suppose  that  the  first  houses  were  all 


204 


ENGLISH   LESSONS 


like  our  Indian  wigwams,  or  were  they  of  different 
kinds  ? 

Why  do  you  think  so  ? 

What  parts  of  the  house  do  you  think  are  neces- 
sary ? 

What  parts  could  we  get  along  without  ? 

Why  do  we  have  what  we  could  get  along  with- 
out? 

Written  Exercise  : 

Write  on  the  blackboard  a  composition  in  good 
paragraphs  on  "  What  Parts  of  a  House  are  Neces- 
sary." 

Write  paragraphs  giving  reasons  why  we  have 
some  things  that  we  could  do  without. 


Conversation : 


Guessing 


A  GERMAN  CASTLE 


Can  you  tell  from 
the  pictures  on  this 
and  the  next  page 
anything  about  the 
countries  in  which 
these  houses  are  found 
and  about  the  people 
who  live  in  them  ? 

Which  would  prob- 
ably be  found  in  hot 


BOOK   ONE 


205 


countries  and  which  in 
cold? 

Written  Exercise : 

Select    one     of    the 
houses  and  write  a  par- 
agraph about  it,  telling   several  things  that  you 
think  must  be  true  about  the  people  living  in  it. 


AN   ESKIMO'S   HOME 


A  SOUTH  AFRICAN   HUT 


A  SWISS   MOUNTAIN    HOME 


Find  in  books  or  magazines  all  you  can  about  the 
people  and  houses,  and  see  how  nearly  right  you 
were  in  your  guesses. 

Write  two  paragraphs,  one  telling  about  the 
guessing  game,  and  the  other  telling  how  nearly 
right  you  were  in  your  guess. 


A  JAPANESE  HOME 


A  TURKISH   PALACE 


206  ENGLISH    LESSONS 

LXXXIV 

SPRING   GAMES 
Possessive  Plural 

Make  a  list  of  games  that  you  play  in  the  spring. 
Some  will  be  boys'  games,  some  girls'  games,  and 
some  will  be  children's  games,  that  is,  games  that 
boys  and  girls  play  together. 

Write  about  the  game  that  you  like  best.  Write 
sentences  describing  this  game,  telling  how  and 
where  you  play  it,  how  many  players  may  be  in 
it,  and  what  you  must  have  to  play  with.  Write 
in  sentences  the  rules  of  the  game. 

Combine  these  sentences  into  good  paragraphs. 
What  is  a  good  paragraph  ? 

In  this  lesson  you  find  the  expressions  hoys  games 
and  girls  games.  Can  you  tell  what  the  mark  (') 
after  hoys  and  girls  means  ? 

What  is  the  s  for? 

Turn  to  page  190.  In  Georges  hoastful  foe 
what  does  the  's  mean  ? 

In  hoys'  games  the  mark  (')  is  placed  after  the  s. 
This  means  that  hoys'  is  j^ossessive  plural,  —  that 
is,  that  more  than  one  boy  are  thought  of,  and  that 
the  games  belong  to  the  hoys. 

Find  other  instances  of  possessive  plural. 

Write  five  plural  forms,  using  other  words. 

Notice  the  words  children  s  games.  The  plural 
of  child  is  children.    As  you  see,  it  does  not  end  in  s. 


BOOK   ONE  207 

To  make  the  possessive  we  add  the  apostrophe 
and  s,  as  we  do  in  making  the  possessive  singular. 
This  is  the  way  to  form  the  possessive  plural  of  all 
nouns  whose  plural  form  does  not  end  in  s. 

Write  the  possessive  of  men,  women,  oxen, 
brethren. 

Write  rules  for  the  possessive  plural  of  those 
nouns  whose  plurals  end  in  s,  and  of  those  whose 
plurals  do  not  end  in  s,  and  copy  them  in  your 
notebook. 

Copy  from  the  descriptions  of  games  that  you 
have  written  or  from  your  readers  possessive 
plurals  of  each  kind. 

LXXXV 

LETTERS 

1 

Mead  this  letter: 

Fresno,  California, 
April  12,  1912. 
Mr.  J.  S.  Richards, 

Los  Angeles,  California. 
Dear  Sir : 

William  Hart,  whose  parents  have  recently  moved  to 
Fresno,  has  applied  for  a  position  as  delivery  boy  in  my 
drug  store.     He  tells  me  that  he  has  worked  for  you. 

If  you  will  kindly  tell  me  what  you  know  of  him, 
you  will  greatly  oblige. 

Yours  very  truly, 

Henry  Brown. 

15 — one 


208  ENGLISH    LESSONS 

Copy  this  letter  carefully. 

Discuss  it  in  class.  How  does  it  differ  from  the 
other  letters  that  you  have  studied  ? 

Do  you  think  that  Mr.  Brown  knew  Mr.  Rich- 
ards very  well  ?     Why  ? 

This  is  a  formal  letter,  such  as  one  might  write 
to  a  stranger  or  to  a  mere  acquaintance  or  a  busi- 
ness correspondent. 

Notice  the  salutation  Dear  Sir,  This  is  proper 
in  all  such  letters. 

You  may  say  instead,  if  you  wish  to  be  very 
polite,  My  dear  Sir. 

Notice  the  closing  phrase,  Yours  very  truly. 
You  may  use  in  closing  a  formal  letter,  Yours  truly, 
Yours  sincerely,  Yours  respectfully,  Yours  very 
truly,  or  any  other  similar  phrase. 

Imagine  that  you  are  Mr.  Richards  and  answer 
Mr.  Brown's  letter,  telling  him  what  you  know  of 
William  Hart,  speaking  well  of  him  and  recommend- 
ing him  for  the  place  in  Mr.  Brown's  drug  store. 

Notice  the  punctuation  of  the  heading,  the  salu- 
tation, the  closing,  and  the  signature  of  this  letter. 

Where  are  periods  used  in  each? 

Where  are  commas  used  in  each  ? 

Make  statements  in  answer  to  these  questions 
and  write  them  in  your  notebook. 

Where  are  capitals  used  ? 

Make  a  statement  and  write  it  in  your  note- 
book. 


BOOK   ONE  209 


Think  of  something  that  you  would  like  to  do, 
and  write  a  letter  to  some  one  in  your  town  or 
vicinity  who  is  in  that  line  of  business,  asking  foi 
a  position.  Tell  your  age,  and  anything  else  that 
an  employer  would  want  to  know  about  you. 

Write  a  letter  to  your  doctor,  telling  him  that 
you  are  ill  and  asking  him  to  call  at  your  residence 
as  soon  as  possible. 

LXXXVI 

THE   GLADNESS  OF   NATURE 

Pictures  in  Words — Review  of  Singular  and  Plural 

Study  and  then  memorize  : 
Is  this  a  time  to  be  cloudy  and  sad, 

When  our  Mother  Nature  laughs  around ; 
When  even  the  deep  blue  heavens  look  glad, 

And  gladness  breathes  from  the  blossoming  ground  ? 

There  are  notes  of  joy  from  the  hangbird  and  wren. 
And  the  gossip  of  swallows  through  all  the  sky; 

The  ground  squirrel  gayly  chirps  by  his  den. 
And  the  wilding  bee  hums  merrily  by. 

The  clouds  are  at  play  in  the  azure  space, 

And  their  shadows  at  play  on  the  bright  green  vale 

And  here  they  stretch  to  the  frolic  chase. 
And  there  they  roll  on  the  easy  gale. 

There's  a  dance  of  leaves  in  that  aspen  bower, 
There's  a  titter  of  winds  in  that  beechen  tree. 


210  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

There's  a  smile  on  the  fruit,  and  a  smile  on  the  flower, 
And  a  laugh  from  the  brook  tliat  runs  to  the  sea. 

And  h)ok  at  the  broad-faced  sun,  how  he  smiles 
On  the  dewy  earth  that  smiles  in  his  ray. 

On  the  leaping  waters  and  gay  young  isles ; 
Ay,  look,  and  he'll  smile  thy  gloom  away. 

AViLLIAM    CULLEN    BrYANT. 

Study  this  poem  stanza  by  stanza. 

What  does  the  poet  mean  by  being  cloudy? 
Think  of  another  word  to  describe  a  "  cloudy " 
face.  Would  you  like  it  as  well  in  the  poem  ?  If 
not,  why  not  ? 

What  picture  do  you  see  when  you  read  the  rest 
of  Stanza  I  ?     What  words  help  you  to  see  it  ? 

What  does  the  next  stanza  tell  about  ? 

What  is  another  name  for  the  hangbird  ?  Can 
you  tell  why  it  is  called  a  hangbird  ? 

What  is  a  wilding  bee  ? 

What  do  you  see  when  you  read  the  stanza  as  a 
whole  ?     What  do  you  hear  ? 

What  does  azure  space  mean?  What  words 
would  you  use  in  talking  about  the  same  thing? 
Why  doesn't  the  poet  use  them  ? 

What  does  the  next  line  mean  ? 

Read  the  four  lines  all  together  and  tell  what 
you  see. 

What  do  the  words  aspen  hoiver  picture  ? 

Do  you  know  whether  the  leaves  of  the  aspen 
"dance"  more  than  those  of  other  trees? 


BOOK   ONE  211 

What  do  you  see  and  hear  as  you  read  the 
stanza  ? 

Is  there  anything  in  the  last  stanza  that  tells 
you  what  time  of  day  it  is  ? 

Why  do  you  think  the  sun  is  called  broad- 
faced  ? 

What  time  of  year  does  the  poem  describe  ? 

Why  do  you  think  so  ? 

Find  all  the  words  in  it  that  tell  of  joy. 

Why  does  the  poet  use  so  many  of  these  words? 

Written  Exercise: 

Write  in  a  list  all  the  singular  nouns  in  the  poem. 
Write  in  another  list  all  the  plural  nouns. 
Write  opposite  each  singular  its  plural  and  oppo- 
site each  plural  its  singular. 

Expressive  Activities: 

Illustrate  in  color  the  different  stanzas  of  this 
poem. 

LXXXVII 
REVIEW 

Good  Usage 

1 
Oral  Exercise: 

Change  the  words  in  italics,  using  first  the  past 
form,  and  then  the  form  used  with  have.  Notice 
how  the  meaning  changes. 


212  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

1.  The  girls  eat  candy. 

2.  We  often  go  picnicing  on  holidays. 

3.  We  sometimes  go  to  the  beach  and  sit  on  the 
sand. 

4.  The  boys  often  run  races  at  recess. 

5.  The  children  do  their  work  well. 

6.  Harold  usually  knows  his  lessons  perfectly. 

7.  Robert  throws  the  ball  farthest  of  all  the  boys. 

8.  Herbert  catches  the  ball  every  time. 

9.  Mary  sets  the  table  for  her  mother. 

10.  She  sets  every  dish  in  the  right  place. 

11.  Her  mother  teaches  her  to  do  her  work  well. 

12.  The  family  sit  down  at  the  table  to  eat  their 
dinner. 

13.  We  sometimes  draw  pictures  on  the  blackboard. 

14.  The  engine  draws  the  train  slowly  up  the  heavy 
grade. 

15.  The  papers  lie  on  the  desk. 

16.  The  dog  lies  by  the  fire. 

17.  The  tramp  lies  down  under  a  tree  to  sleep. 

18.  We  speak  of  what  we  see. 

19.  The  Christmas  bells  ring  merrily. 

20.  At  Christmas  we  give  our  friends  presents. 

21.  We  write  Christmas  letters  to  the  absent  ones. 

22.  The  flowers  and  birds  come  with  the  springtime. 

23.  The  rains  bring  the  flowers. 

24.  We  see  the  birds  building  their  nests 

25.  The  young  birds  grow  fast. 

26.  Some  boys  steal  birds*  nests. 

27.  A  fierce  wind  blows  the  nests  from  the  trees. 

28.  The  fox  steals  the  farmer's  chickens. 

29.  The  ripe  pods  of  the  milkweed  burst. 

30.  We  ought  to  go  at  once. 


BOOK   ONE  213 


Two  of  the  words  in  italics  do  not  change. 
Which  are  they  ? 

Make  sentences  of  your  own  containing  all  the 
words  in  italics,  and  change  them  as  you  have 
changed  the  sentences  above. 


Write  in  a  list  all  the  singular  nouns  in  the 
sentences. 

Write  in  another  list  all  the  plural  nouns. 

Write  opposite  each  singular  its  plural,  and 
opposite  each  plural  its  singular. 

In  sentences  26  and  28,  why  is  the  apostrophe 
used  ?  Why  is  it  before  s  in  farmer  s  and  after  s 
in  birds'  f 

Write  the  possessive  singular  and  the  possessive 
plural  of  hoy^  family^  child,  dog,  fox. 

Choose  the  right  words  to  use  after  It  is  and  It 
ivas,  and  make  sentences  containing  them  : 
I   — me  she    — her 

he  —  him  they  —  them 

LXXXVIII 

CERES 

Choice  of  Words 
Rmd  : 

Ceres  was  the  goddess  of  the  fruitful  fields.  Her 
especial  care  was  over  the  grain  that  gives  men  food. 


214  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

She  had  a  little  daughter  named  Proserpina,  whom  she 
loved  dearly.  One  day  she  lost  this  lovely  child  in  a 
most  strange  way,  which  will  be  told  you  later.  She 
searched  the  whole  world  over,  calling  "Proserpina! 
Proserpina!  "  but  Proserpina  did  not  answer. 

One  day  as  Ceres  was  sitting,  lonely  and  mourning, 
by  the  road,  there  passed  an  aged  peasant  and  his  little 
girl.  The  child  went  to  the  goddess  and  said  simply, 
"  Mother,  why  are  you  so  sad  ? "  The  old  man,  too, 
spoke  kindly  to  her  and  asked  her  to  his  cottage.  She 
went  with  them,  wondering.  There  she  found  grief  as 
great  as  her  own.  The  only  son  of  the  family,  a  bright, 
fine  boy,  was  at  the  point  of  death.  The  goddess,  her- 
self mourning,  took  pity  on  the  mourning  of  the  peas- 
ants. She  went  to  the  bedside  where  the  suffering 
child  lay,  and  gently  kissed  him  on  the  forehead,  and 
breathed  her  divine  breath  over  him.  At  once  he 
arose,  well  and  strong,  and  greatly  did  the  family 
rejoice. 

Ceres  ever  afterward  took  great  interest  in  this  boy. 
She  taught  him  many  ways  of  cultivating  the  fields, 
especially  the  use  of  the  plow,  so  that  through  her  kind- 
ness he  became  one  of  the  greatest  benefactors  of  men. 

Use  other  words  instead  of  the  following :  — 

fruitful  peasant  gently 

especial  grief  divine 

searched  suffering  cultivating 

lonely  arose  benefactors 

Which  words  are  better,  those  in  the  book  or 
those  you  have  used  ? 


BOOK   ONE  215 

Two  of  your  rules  for  the  use  of  capital  letters 
are  illustrated  in  this  story.     Which  are  they  ? 

In  the  sentence,  Mother,  why  are  you  so  sad? 
why  is  a  comma  used  after  mother  f 

LXXXIX 

THIS  IS   THE   WAY  CERES  LOST   HER  LITTLE    GIRL 

Words  Expressing  Action 
Read : 

Pluto  was  the  king  who  ruled  all  under  the 
earth.  He  was  dark  and  forbidding  to  look  upon,  but 
he  was  not  unkind.  Once  Cupid,  the  little  god  of  love, 
in  sport,  shot  an  arrow  at  the  dark  king,  which  went 
straight  to  his  heart.  Whenever  this  happened  to  any 
one,  he  at  once  fell  in  love,  so  Pluto  fell  in  love.  The 
one  whom  he  loved  was  Proserpina,  the  fair  daughter 
of  the  goddess  Ceres.  He  wanted  to  marry  her  and 
make  her  his  queen.  But  he  knew  that  Ceres  would 
never  consent  that  her  daughter  should  go  to  his  dark 
home,  so  he  resolved  to  take  her  by  force. 

In  his  black  chariot  he  came  up  above  the  ground  as 
Proserpina  was  sitting  in  the  field  playing  witli  flowers. 
He  seized  her  in  his  arms,  hastened  with  her  to  the 
chariot,  and  drove  back  quickly  to  his  gloomy 
abode.  There  he  married  the  beautiful  Proserpina 
and  made  her  queen  of  his  kingdom.  At  first  she 
mourned  for  the  sunlight  and  her  mother.  But  Pluto 
was  kind  to  her  and  in  time  she  came  to  love  him,  and 
then  found  her  dark  home  not  unpleasant. 

But  Ceres  mourned  and  searched.      At   length  she 


216  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

learned  that  her  little  Proserpina  was  the  wife  of 
Pluto  and  queen  of  the  lower  world.  Then  she  asked 
the  great  Jupiter  to  let  her  daughter  return  to  earth, 
but  this  could  not  be  without  Pluto's  consent. 

At  length,  however,  Pluto  consented  that  Proserpina 
should  spend  half  her  time  with  her  mother  on  the  earth 
and  the  other  half  with  him  below  the  ground.  So  Pluto 
kept  his  wife,  Ceres  got  her  daughter,  and  all  were  happy. 

This  is  a  story  the  ancients  tell,  and  by  it  they 
mean  this : 

Ceres  is  the  fruitful  fields.  Proserpina  is  the  seed  of 
the  golden  grain.  When  it  is  cast  into  the  ground,  it  is 
hidden  for  a  time  and  then  comes  back  again,  but  it  does 
not  stay  the  whole  year.  Each  winter  it  disappears  ; 
each  spring  it  comes  again:  that  is,  Proserpina  is  restored 
to  her  mother ;  spring  brings  her  back  to  the  light  of  day. 

Conversation : 

Tell  the  story  in  class. 

Would  you  rather  be  ruler  in  a  dark  world  or  a 
school  boy  or  girl  in  a  bright  one  ? 

Many  of  you  eat  some  cereal  for  your  breakfast 
every  morning.  Find  out  what  cereal  means. 
Does  the  word  cereal  look  at  all  like  Ceres  f  See  if 
you  can  find  out  their  relationship. 

Written  Exercise : 

Find  in  the  last  three  paragraphs  of  the  story 
all  the  words  that  tell  what  Ceres  did,  and  all  the 
words  that  tell  what  Pluto  did. 


BOOK   ONE  217 

Write  them  in  a  list,  with  the  names  Ceres  and 
Pluto  before  them. 

Write  the  conversations,  choose  characters,  and 
act  the  story. 

XC 
THE   PARTS   OF   THE   SENTENCE 
Words  that  Tell 
The  mocking  bird  sings  in  the  orange  tree. 

What  does  this  sentence  tell  something  about  ? 
What  does  it  tell  about  the  mocking  bird  ? 
We  may  separate  this  sentence  into  two  parts, 
thus  : 

The  mocking  bird  sings  in  the  orange  tree. 

The  first  part  tells  what  we  are  speaking  of. 
The  second  part  tells  something  about  it. 
Every  sentence  has  these  two  parts. 

Written  Exercise  : 

Separate  each  of   these  sentences  into  its  two 
parts,  leaving  a  wide  space  between  the  parts. 

Ceres  dearly  loved  her  daughter  Proserpina. 
Pluto  stole  the  lovely  child  away. 
The  goddess  searched  for  her  through  all  the  world. 
The  sad  mother  pitied  those  who  mourned  like  her- 
self. 

She  healed  the  sick  child  of  a  peasant  one  day. 
The  grateful  family  rejoiced  with  all  their  hearts. 
Ceres  taught  the  boy  the  use  of  the  plow. 


218  ENGLISH    LESSONS 

Write  a  list  of  the  words  in  these  sentences  that 
tell  what  some  one  did. 

If  you  leave  out  these  words,  do  the  remaining 
words  make  statements  ? 

Can  you  leave  out  the  other  words  in  the  second 
part  of  each  sentence,  and  still  state  something  ? 

What  do  you  think  about  the  importance  of  the 
words  that  tell  what  persons  or  things  do  ? 

XCI 
A  DAY'S  HISTORY 

Word  Study 

Write  your  name,  your  address,  and  the  date. 

Write  a  history  of  one  day  of  your  life,  telling 
what  you  did  before  school  in  the  morning,  what 
you  did  at  school,  what  you  did  after  school  in  the 
afternoon,  and  how  you  passed  the  evening. 

Make  two  lists  of  words  from  your  day's  history 
—  nouns  and  words  that  describe  things. 

Study  each  word  carefully ;  if  you  can  think  of 
a  better  one  to  use  in  its  place,  substitute  it.  Be 
sure  to  tell  why  you  like  the  new  words  better. 

XCII 
ON   THE   BEACH 
Conversation  on  the  Picture  : 

Have  you  ever  been  at  the  seashore  ? 
What  do  you  think  is  in  this  cart  besides  the 
childrep  ? 


BOOK   ONE 


219 


^^^^^^mH^^^Em^^^^ 

^ 

220  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Why  did  the  children  go  down  to  the  beach  ? 
Are  they  glad  they  went  ?     How  do  you  know  ? 
Who  is  having  the  best  time? 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  a  story  about  the  picture  and  call  it  "  The 
Drive." 

XCIII 

TRADES   IN   BIRDLAND 
G-eneral  Review 


The   Woodpecker  —  the   Carpenter 
Read  : 

"  I  am  birddom's  Carpenter, 
Can  make  the  splinters  fly  ; 
On  poles  and  posts  and  forest  trees 
My  merry  trade  I  ply." 

Conversation : 

Why  is  the  woodpecker  called  the  "carpenter"? 

Find  out  where  the  woodpecker  builds  his  nest, 
and  how  he  builds  it. 

Why  can  he  stay  in  the  North  during  the  winter, 
when  many  other  birds  cannot  ? 

Find  out  all  that  you  can  about  the  habits  of  the 
woodpecker,  and  tell  what  you  have  found. 

To  the  Teacher :  Other  birds  may  be  substituted  for  any  of  these. 
Whenever  possible,  study  birds  by  observation. 


BOOK   ONE  221 

2 

The   S^YALLOW  —  the   Mason 
Read: 

"  The  swallow's  a  mason  and  underneath  the  eaves 
He  build's  his  nest  and  plasters  it  with  mud  and  hair 
and  leaves." 

Conversation  : 

Where  have  you  seen  swallows  ? 

Describe  one. 

Of  what  use  is  the  swallow  to  man  ? 

Should  we  encourage  the  swallows  to  live  where 
people  are  ?     How  can  we  do  so  ? 

Where  did  the  swallows  that  you  saw  build  their 
nests  ? 

Tell  about  these  nests. 

Why  is  the  swallow  called  the  mason  ? 


The  Oriole  —  the  Weaver 
Read : 

"  When  the  wind  blows,  the  cr?,dle  will  rock, 
When  the  bough  breaks,  the  cradle  will  fall." 

Orioles  are  weavers  with  ready-made  weaving  needles 
for  sewing  the  hairs  and  fibers  in  and  out.  The  oriole 
hangs  its  nest  to  the  most  flexible  swaying  branch  it  can 
find.  Though  the  long  pocket,  moving  with  every  breeze, 
seems  a  frail  cradle  for  a  brood  of  heavy  nestlings,  in 
reality  it  is  so  skillfully  attached  to  the  branches  that  it 


222  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

has  been  known  to  hold  firm  during  a  cyclone  which 
swept  down  most  of  the  other  nests  in  the  neighborhood. 
The  same  nest  is  sometimes  used  for  several  seasons. 

The  oriole  is  a  prince  among  birds,  with  most  win- 
ning ways,  and  so  melodious  a  voice  that  he  is  sure  of 
the  affection  of  all  who  study  him. 

Conversation  : 

Tell  where  you  have  seen  an  oriole's  nest. 

If  you  can,  get  a  last  year's  nest.  Examine  it 
carefully. 

Of  what  is  it  made  ? 

Trace  a  piece  of  string  woven  in  the  nest. 

Does  the  oriole  deserve  to  be  called  a  weaver  ? 

What  kind  of  tree  does  the  oriole  like  best  for 
a  home  ?     Why  ? 

Tell  how  the  oriole  is  marked. 

Find  out  why  he  is  called  the  Baltimore  oriole. 

Did  you  ever  hear  an  oriole's  call  ? 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  a  paragraph  about  the  home  of  the  oriole 
and  another  about  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oriole. 

4 

Weave  —  Hang  —  Swing 
Good  Usage: 

The  oriole  weaves  her  nest  of  threads  and  hair. 

She  hangs  it  from  a  flexible  bough. 

The  little  nest  swings  to  and  fro  in  the  broeze. 


BOOK   ONE  223 

Separate  each  of  the  sentences  above  into  the 
part  that  tells  what  is  spoken  of  and  the  part  that 
says  something  about  it. 

Write  the  words  that  tell  what  something  does. 

Change  the  sentences  so  as  to  tell  what  some- 
thing did. 

Change  them  so  as  to  tell  what  something  has 
done. 

If  you  do  not  know  what  words  to  use,  ask  your 
teacher. 

Write  the  altered  sentences  on  the  blackboard 
and  read  them  aloud  to  the  class. 

When  you  are  sure  that  you  have  used  the 
correct  words,  copy  them  in  lists  under  these  head- 
ings : 

Present  Form  Past  Form  Form  with  Have 

Use  them  orally  in  sentences  of  your  own. 

XCIV 

THE   ST.   BERNARD 

Writing  Stories 
Bead  : 

A  Doble  St.  Bernard  dog  was  kept  in  a  monastery  in 
the  mountains  to  find  and  rescue  travelers  lost  in  the 
snow. 

One  day  he  found  a  little  boy  lying  frozen  in  a  snow 
bank.  The  brave  dog  laid  himself  upon  the  boy  to  warm 
him,  licking  his  face  and  hands  until  the  color  came  back 


224  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

and  the  boy  opened  liis  eyes.  Then  he  said  to  him, 
as  well  as  a  dog  could,  "Do  you  see  these  straps 
wrapped  about  my  body  ?  Take  them  off.  Now  tie 
yourself  on  my  back  with  them.  Now  lie  still  and  hold 
on  to  my  long  hair." 

Finally  the  boy  understood,  and  with  the  straps  he 
tied  himself  to  the  dog's  back,  and  was  carried  alive  and 
safe  to  the  monastery. 

Tell  the  story. 

Tell  other  stories  about  dogs. 

Write  a  story  about  a  dog. 

Read  the  stories  in  class. 

Decide  by  vote  which  is  the  best  story  about 
dogs. 

Write  that  one  on  the  board.  After  the  class 
has  criticized  it,  and  it  has  been  made  correct  in 
punctuation,  sentences,  and  paragraphs,  compare  it 
with  the  story  in  the  book. 

xcv 

TEST   REVIEW 

Write  answers  to  these  questions : 

1.  What  four  things  do  sentences  do  ? 

2.  With  what  kind  of  letter  does  every  sentence 
begin  ? 

3.  What  mark  is  placed  after  each  kind  of 
sentence  ? 

4.  Where  do  we  use  capital  letters  ? 


BOOK   ONE  225 

5.  In  what  places  besides  at  the  end  of  a  sen- 
tence have  we  learned  to  use  the  period  ? 

6.  What  is  an  abbreviation?  \Yhat  mark  is 
placed  after  it  ? 

7.  Where  do  we  use  hyphens  ? 

8.  Where  do  we  use  apostrophes  ? 

9.  Where  do  we  use  quotation  marks  ? 

Review 

Capital  letters  are  used  to  begin  : 

Titles,  whether  written  in  full  or  abbreviated. 

Each  important  word  of  a  heading  in  books  or  papers. 

Commas  are  used : 

To  separate  the  name  of  a  person  or  thing  addressed 
from  what  is  said  to  him. 

To  separate  a  quotation  from  the  rest  of  the  sentence. 

Most  nouns  form  their  plurals  by  adding  s. 

Nouns  ending  in  a  sound  that  will  not  unite  with  that 
of  5  add  es  to  form  the  plural. 

Nouns  ending  in  /  with  a  consonant  before  it,  change  y 
to  /  and  add  es  to  form  the  plural. 

All  other  nouns  ending  in/  add  5. 

A  few  nouns  have  plurals  that  do  not  end  in  Sy  as 
merif  women j  children^  feet,  oxen. 

The  possessive  form  of  a  singular  noun  is  made  by 
adding  an  apostrophe  and  5. 

The  possessive  form  of  a  plural  noun  ending  in  5  is 
made  by  adding  the  apostrophe  only.  A  plural  noun  that 
does  not  end  in  s  adds  the  apostrophe  and  5. 

Hyphens  are  used : 

To  separate  the  parts  of  a  compound  word. 


226  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

At  the  end  of  a  line,  to  show  that  a  word  is  divided 
between  syllables. 

The  words  an  and  a  are  used  to  show  that  no  particular 
thing  is  meant.  A  is  used  before  a  consonant  sound  and 
an  before  a  vowel  sound. 

The  word  ihe  is  used  to  point  out  some  particular  object 
or  objects. 

With  singular  nouns  use  /s,  was,  and  has. 

With  plural  nouns  use  are,  were,  and  have. 

After  a/w,  is,  or  are,  use  he,  she,  they,  never  him,  her, 
them. 

XCVI 

PICTURE   STUDY  — EXCITEMENT 

Conversation : 

What  are  these  boys  doing  ?  Do  you  think  they 
are  excited  ?  Why  ?  Which  one  is  most  excited  ? 
Why  do  you  think  so?  What  are  they  looking 
at  ?     Why  do  they  not  jump  over  the  wall  ? 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  a  story  of  what  is  going  on  beyond  the 
wall. 

XCVII 

THE   MERRY  LOCKSMITH 

Word  Study  —  Adjectives  —  How  to  use  a  Dictionary 

1 
Read : 

From  the  workshop  of  the  Golden  Key  there  issued 
forth  a  tinkling  sound,   so  merry   and   good-humored 


BOOK   ONE 


227 


228  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

that  it  suggested  the  idea  of  some  one  working  blithely, 
and  made  quite  pleasant  music.  No  man  who  ham- 
mered on  at  a  dull,  monotonous  duty  could  have 
brought  such  cheerful  notes  from  steel  and  iron ;  none 
but  a  chirping,  healthy,  honest-hearted  fellow  who  made 
the  best  of  everything  and  felt  kindly  toward  every- 
body could  liave  done  it  for  an  instant.  He  might  have 
been  a  coppersmith,  and  still  be  musical.  If  he  had  sat 
in  a  jolting  wagon,  full  of  rods  of  iron,  it  seemed  as  if 
he  would  have  brought  some  harmony  out  of  it. 

Tink,  tink,  tink  —  clear  as  a  silver  bell,  and  audible 
at  every  pause  of  the  streets'  harsher  noises,  as  though 
it  said,  ''  1  don't  care ;  nothing  puts  me  out ;  I  am 
resolved  to  be  happy."  Women  scolded,  children 
squalled,  heavy  carts  went  rumbling  by,  horrible  cries 
proceeded  from  the  lungs  of  hawkers ;  still  it  struck  in 
again,  no  higher,  no  lower,  no  louder,  no  softer,  not 
thrusting  itself  on  people's  notice  a  bi%  the  more>  for 
having  been  outdone  by  louder  sounds  —  tink,  tink, 
tink,  tink,  tink. 

******* 

Who  but  the  locksmith  could  have  made  such 
music !  A  gleam  of  sun,  shining  through  the  unsashed 
window  and  checkering  the  dark  workshop  with  a 
broad  patch  of  light,  fell  full  upon  him  as  though  at- 
tracted by  his  sunny  heart.  There  he  stood  working 
at  his  anvil,  his  face  all  radiant  with  exercise  and  glad- 
ness, his  sleeves  turned  up,  his  wig  pushed  off  his  shin- 
ing forehead  —  the  easiest,  freest,  happiest  man  in  all 
the  world. 

Charles  ])ickens. 


BOOK   ONE  229 

Conversation: 

Read  aloud  the  description  of  the  locksmith. 

How  do  you  like  it  ? 

Can  you  not  almost  see  the  jolly  locksmith  and 
hear  the  cheerful  sound  of  his  hammer  ? 

Read  the  first  sentence  again  and  see  if  you  can 
pick  out  the  words  that  make  the  picture  so  clear. 

Try  to  use  some  other  words  instead  of  thiMing, 
merry  J  good-humor  ed^  blithely,  pleasant,  music. 

Can  you  find  any  that  are  as  good  as  those  in 
the  book  ? 

Name  the  nouns  in  the  first  sentence. 

Name  the  words  that  describe  things. 

Copy  in  your  notebook : 

Words  that  describe  persons  or  things  are  called 
adjectives. 

Written  Exercise: 

Copy  from  the  other  paragraphs  the  words  that 
make  clear  pictures,  \yrite  them  in  three  lists, 
nouns,  adjectives,  and  words  that  tell  -what  persons 
or  things  do. 

Write  a  description  of  some  workman  whom  you 
have  seen  at  work. 

2 

Hoiv  to  use  a  Dictionary 

In  reading  you  are  sure  to  come  across  many 
words  whose  meanings  you  do  not  know. 


230  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Do  not  pass  them  by  or  guess  at  their  meanings, 
but  look  them  up  in  a  dictionary. 

This  will  enable  you  to  understand  better  what 
you  are  reading  and  will  give  you  a  larger  vo- 
cabulary, that  is,  more  words  that  you  can  use 
in  speaking  and  writing.  The  more  words  you 
know,  the  better  you  can  express  your  thoughts, 
and  this  is  the  object  of  all  speaking  and  writing. 

The  dictionary  will  tell  you  many  things  about 
words,  but  the  first  thing  is  to  find  them.  All  the 
words  in  the  dictionary  are  arranged  in  the  order  of 
the  letters  in  the  alphabet.  First  turn  to  the  part 
where  the  words  begin  with  the  same  letter  as  your 
word  ;  then  turn  to  the  words  whose  second  and 
third  letters  are  the  same  as  those  of  your  word, 
and  so  on  until  you  come  to  the  word  itself. 

For  example,  look  up  blithely,  in  the  third  line 
of  "  The  Merry  Locksmith." 

First  turn  in  your  dictionary  to  the  letter  B, 
then  find  Bli,  then  Blithe.  Soon  you  will  see 
Blithely. 

Now  what  does  the  dictionary  tell  you  about  the 
meaning  of  blithely? 

Suppose  the  word  suggested,  in  the  same  paragraph 
as  blithely,  is  the  one  that  you  do  not  understand. 

Turn  to  S,  then  to  Sug,  and  so  on.  You  will 
probably  not  find  Suggested  at  first,  but  you  will 
find  Suggest,  and  under  that  you  can  find  Suggested 
and  its  meaning. 


BOOK   ONE  231 

A  good  game  may  be  made  of  word  hunting. 
Take  your  dictionaries.  Let  some  one  write  a 
word  on  the  blackboard. 

See  who  will  find  it  first. 

Then  see  who  will  find  and  write  the  most  in- 
formation about  tbe  word. 


XCVIII 

TO-DAY 
Commit  to  memory  : 

So  here  hath  been  dawning 

Another  blue  day  ; 
Think,  wilt  thou  let  it 

Slip  useless  away  ? 

Out  of  Eternit}^ 

This  new  day  is  born  ; 
Into  Eternity, 

At  night,  will  return. 

Behold  it  aforetime 

No  eye  ever  did  ; 
So  soon  it  forever 

From  all  eyes  is  hid. 

Here  hath  been  dawning 

Another  blue  day; 
Think,  wilt  thou  let  it 

Slip  useless  away  ? 

Thomas  Caklyle. 


232 


ENGLISH   LESSONS 


XCIX 

THE   STORY  OF   A   LOAF   OF   BREAD 

1 

Writing  a  History 
Read  : 

Bread  is  the  food  of  all  people.     We  eat  many  other 
tliinofs,  some  of  which  we  could  do  without,  but  bread 


IN  THE  WHEAT  FIELD 
This  single  machine  cuts,  threshes,  winnows,  and  sacks  wheat  while  in  motion. 

we  must  have.  Nearly  all  bread  is  made  from  some 
grain,  which  is  the  seed  of  a  kind  of  grass.  The  most 
common  grains  are  wheat,  rye,  barley,  oats,  millet,  and 
corn  ;  and  bread  is  made  from  all  of  them. 

In  this  country  wheat  is  the  grain  most  commonly 
used  for  bread  raraking.  The  great  wheat  fields  are  in 
the  west.     In  some  regions,  as  in  the  Red  River  Valley, 


BOOK   ONE  233 

one  may  ride  whole  days,  seeing  nothing  but  miles  and 
miles  of  waving  golden  wheat. 

The  fields  are  plowed  for  the  sowing  of  the  wheat  by 
machine  plows  drawn  by  steam  engines  or  by  many 
horses.  The  grain  is  sown  by  machines,  and  when  it  is 
ripe  it  is  cat  by  machines. 

In  the  far  west  machines  are  used,  a  single  one  of 
which  cuts  the  stalks,  threshes  out  the  grain,  winnows 
it  to  remove  the  chafP,  puts  it  into  sacks,  and  drops  the 
sacks  on  the  ground.  A  picture  of  one  of  these 
machines  is  here  given. 

After  reading  the  above,  tell  it.  Then  find  all 
that  you  can  about  the  history  of  a  loaf  of  bread. 
Make  notes  of  what  you  find.  Tell  the  story. 
Use  the  following  outline  : 

The  Wheat : 

Where  it  grew.     Who  raised  it. 

The  plowing  and  preparing  of  the  ground. 

The  sowing.  The  growing.  The  reaping.  The 
threshing.  The  winnowing  and  bagging.  The 
transportation  to  the  elevator,  to  the  mill. 

The  Flour: 

The  grinding  ;  the  sifting  and  separating  and 
putting  into  barrels  or  sacks ;  the  journey  to  the 
store ;  the  selling ;  the  journey  to  the  home ;  mak- 
ing the  bread. 


234  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  the  history  of  the  loaf  of  bread. 

Collect  pictures  from  papers  and  magazines  show- 
ing each  step  and  process,  and  use  them  to  illustrate 
the  history. 


Words  to  use  with  Is,  Are,  Was,  and  Were 

Separate  these  sentences  into  their  two  parts,  — 
the  part  that  names  what  is  spoken  of  and  the 
part  that  tells  something  about  it : 

The  plows  are  drawn  by  steam  engines. 
The  grain  is  sown  by  machines. 

Do  these  sentences  tell  what  the  plows  and  the 
grain  do  or  what  is  done  to  them  ? 

What  two  words,  taken  together,  tell  what  is 
done  to  the  plows  ?  to  the  grain  ? 

Find  other  sentences  in  the  story  of  the  bread 
that  tell  what  is  done  to  things. 

Write  in  your  notebooks : 

We  use  sentences  to  tell  what  persons  or  things  do. 
We  also  use  sentences  to  tell  what  is  done  to  persons  or 
things. 

The  sentence,  "Charles  threw  the  ball,"  tells 
what  Charles  did.  Can  you  change  it  to  tell  what 
was  done  to  the  ball  ? 


BOOK   ONE  235 

We  use  the  same  words  after  is,  are,  ivas,  and  ivere 
to  tell  what  is  done  to  persons  or  things  that  w^e  use 
after  have  and  has  to  tell  what  persons  or  things 
have  done. 

What  word  is  used  after  are  to  tell  what  is  done 
to  the  plows  ? 

What  word  is  used  after  is  to  tell  what  is  done  to 
the  grain  ? 

What  word  did  you  use  after  ivas  to  tell  what 
was  done  to  the  ball  by  Charles  ? 

Conversation : 

Tell  something  that  is  done  to  books,  pencils, 
your  coat  or  dress,  windows,  flowers,  trees,  oranges, 
apricots,  horses,  houses,  ships,  coal,  iron,  gold. 

Change  these  sentences  so  as  to  tell  what  w^as 
done  to  things : 

Ruth  wrote  a  letter. 
The  teacher  rang  the  bell. 
Tlie  boys  ate  the  candy. 
The  wind  blew  the  house  down. 
The  cat  stole  the  cream. 
The  men  did  the  work  well. 
The  people  saw  the  airship. 
The  bird  began  its  nest. 
The  balloon  struck  the  ground. 
The  horse  kicked  the  dog. 
The  cat  chased  the  mouse. 
Henry  gave  me  a  book. 


236  ENGLISH  LESSONS 

C 

CONTRACTIONS 
1 

In  writing,  as  in  speaking,  we  often  shorten  or 
contract  certain  syllables  and  words  by  leaving  out 
one  or  more  letters:  as,  mi't  for  is  not;  dwit  for 
do  not. 

The  apostrophe  is  used  in  all  contractions  to  show 
that  something  has  been  omitted. 

These  are  some  of  the  more  common  contrac- 
tions.    Copy  them  : 


Isn't 

for 

is  not 

I'd 

for 

I  had 

Shan't 

for 

shall  not 

I'll 

for 

I  will 

Can't 

for 

can  not 

I'm 

for 

I  am 

Won't 

for 

will  not 

It's 

for 

it  is 

'Tis 

for 

it  is 

Doesn't 

for 

does  not 

There's 

for 

there  is 

Don't 

for 

do  not 

You're 

for 

you  are 

Hasn't 

for 

has  not 

We'll      for     we  will  Hadn't     for      had  not 

It  is  usually  better  to  write  words  without  either 
abbreviation  or  contraction,  though  both  forms 
may  be  used. 

Some  contractions  should  never  be  used. 

Never  use  aint. 

Do  not  say  he  dont,  but  he  doesn't. 

Can  you  tell  why  ? 


BOOK   ONE  237 


A  Temperance  Song 

Read : 

I  asked  a  sweet  robin  one  morning  in  May, 
Who  sang  in  the  apple  tree  over  the  way, 
What  it  was  he  was  singing  so  sweetly  about, 
For  I'd  tried  a  long  while  and  I  could  not  find  out. 

"  Why,  I'm  sure,"  he  replied,  *'  you  cannot  guess  wrong  ; 
Don't  you  know  I  am  singing  a  temperance  song  ? 
Teetotal,  oh  !  that's  the  first  word  of  my  lay  ; 
And  then  don't  you  see  how  I  twitter  away  ? 

"  'Tis  because  I  have  just  dipped  my  beak  in  the  spring 
And  brushed  the  fair  face  of  the  lake  with  my  wing ; 
Cold  water  I  cold  water  !     Yes,  that  is  my  song  ? 
And  I  have  to  keep  singing  it  all  the  day  long  !  " 

What  do  you  think  of  the  robin's  temperance 
song  ? 

Write  in  a  list  all  the  contractions  in  this 
poem. 

Write  opposite  each  the  words  contracted. 

How  would  you  contract  the  words  could  not? 

Find  another  poem  in  which  many  contractions 
are  used.  Make  a  list  of  them  and  write  opposite 
each  the  words  that  have  been  contracted. 

Write  sentences  using  correctly  the  words,  am 
not,  is  not,  do  not,  does  not. 


238  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

CI 
A  WORD   PICTURE 

Nouns  and  Adjectives 


Read : 

111  my  walk  yesterday  forenoon  I  passed  an  old 
house  which  seemed  to  be  quite  deserted.  It  was  a  two- 
story,  wooden  house,  dark  and  weather-beaten.  The 
front  windows,  some  of  them,  were  shattered  and  open, 
and  others  were  boarded  up.  Trees  and  shrubbery  were 
growing  neglected  so  as  quite  to  block  up  the  lower 
part.  There  was  an  aged  barn  near  at  hand,  so  ruinous 
that  it  had  been  necessary  .to  prop  it  up.  There  were 
two  old  carts,  both  of  which  had  lost  a  wheel.  Every- 
thing was  in  keeping.  At  first  I  supposed  that  there 
would  be  no  inhabitants  in  such  a  dilapidated  place  ; 
but,  passing  on,  I  looked  back,  and  saw  a  decrepit  and 
infirm  old  man  at  the  angle  of  the  house,  its  fit  occupant. 
The  grass,  however,  was  very  green  and  beautiful  around 
this  dwelling,  and,  the  sunshine  falling  brightly  on  it, 
the  whole  effect  was  cheerful  and  pleasant.  It  seemed 
as  if  the  world  was  so  glad,  that  this  desolate  old 
place,  where  there  was  never  to  be  any  more  hope  and 
happiness,  could  not  at  all  lessen  the  general  effect  of 

Nathaniel  Hawthorne. 

Read  this  selection  silently. 
Then  read  it  aloud  in  class. 
Then  tell  it,  from  memory,  mentioning  as  many 


BOOK  ONE  239 

of  the  things  described  as  you  can  remember  and 
using  the  language  of  the  book  as  nearly  as  you 
can  recall  it. 

Open  your  book  and  study  the  selection,  sen- 
tence by  sentence,  discussing  it  with  the  class. 

Try  to  see  what  words  in  each  sentence  make  the 
picture,  that  is,  what  ones  you  could  not  do  with- 
out. 

For  instance  in  the  first  sentence : 

Old  house  —  seemed  —  deserted.  Could  any  of 
these  be  omitted  without  spoiling  the  picture  ?  Do 
you  find  any  others  as  important  ? 

If  you  do  not  know  the  meaning  of  any  word, 
look  it  up  in  the  dictionary. 

Write  in  columns  the  important  words  ;  in  one 
column  put  the  names  of  things,  as  house,  ivindoios, 
trees.  In  another  the  words  that  describe,  as  old, 
tivo-story,  loooden. 


Words,  as  we  have  seen,  have  different  uses. 
Some  7iame  persons  or  things,  some  describe  persons 
or  things,  or  tell  of  ivhat  kind  they  are,  some  tell 
what  persons  or  things  do,  and  others  have  other 
uses.  All  words  are  given  names  according  to 
their  uses. 

W^e  have  learned  that  all  names  are  called  nouns. 
This  is  true,  whether  they  are  names  of  persons,  as 
John  ;  or  of  things,  as  house  ;  or  of  a  quality,  as 


240  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

strength ;  or  of  feelings,  as  joy.  We  have  here 
two  kinds  of  nouns,  common  and  proper. 

A  common  noun  is  a  name  that  may  be  applied 
alike  to  all  thingfs  of  a  kind,  as  licnise. 

A  proper  noun  is  a  name  given  to  one  object  to 
distinguish  it  from  the  rest  of  its  kind,  as  John, 

What  are  words  that  describe  called  ? 

See  whether  there  are  more  nouns  than  adjec- 
tives in  "  A  Word  Picture." 

Which  do  you  think  more  important  in  making 
the  picture  clear  ? 

Write  in  a  column  the  names  of  five  things  in 
your  schoolroom. 

Write  before  each  name  two  adjectives  that 
describe  the  thing  named. 


CII 
ANOTHER  WORD  PICTURE 
Nouns  and  Adjectives 


Read : 


...  A  good  view,  from  an  upland  swell  of  our  pasture, 
across  the  valley  of  the  river  Charles.  There  is  the 
meadow,  as  level  as  a  floor  and  carpeted  with  green, 
perhaps  two  miles  from  the  rising  ground  on  this  side 
of  the  river  to  that  on  the  opposite  side.  The  stream 
winds  through  the  midst  of  the  flat  space  without  any 
banks  at  all ;  for  it  fills  its  bed  almost  to  the  brim  and 
bathes  the  meadow  grass  on  either  side.  .  .  .  Now,  into 


BOOK   ONE  241 

the  broad,  smooth  meadow,  as  into  a  lake,  capes  and 
headlands  put  themselves  forth,  and  shores  of  firm  wood- 
land border  it,  covered  with  variegated  foliage.  .  .  . 
Everywhere  the  trees  wear  their  autumnal  dress,  so 
that  the  whole  landscape  is  red,  russet,  orange,  and 
yellow,  blending  in  the  distance  into  a  rich  tint  of 
brown  orange,  or  nearly  that,  except  the  green  expanse 
so  definitely  hemmed  in  by  the  higher  ground. 

Hawthorne. 

After  reading  this  description  very  carefully, 
close  your  eyes  and  try  to  see  the  picture. 

Read  it  again. 

Tell  the  description  to  the  class  as  well  as  you  can. 

Study  it  sentence  by  sentence  and  see  what  words 
make  the  picture  clear. 

Write  them  in  three  columns,  in  one  the  nouns, 
in  another  the  adjectives,  and  in  another  any  other 
words  that  you  find  important  in  the  description. 

In  which  column  do  you  have  the  most  words  ? 
In  which  the  most  necessary  words  ? 

Draw  a' perpendicular  line. 

On  one  side  of  it  w^rite  in  a  column  all  the  nouns 
in  the  first  three  sentences.  Write  on  the  other  side 
of  the  line  opposite  each  noun  the  adjective  or  adjec- 
tives, if  any,  that  describe  the  thing  named ;  as,  — 

good  I  view 
upland  I  swell 

See  in  each  case  which  could  be  left  out  with  the 
least  loss,  the  noun  or  the  adjective. 


242  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

cm 

WHAT  IS   A   GENTLEMAN 
Commas 

Read  : 

''  What  is  it  to  be  a  gentleman?  It  is  to  be  honest, 
to  be  gentle,  to  be  generous,  to  be  brave,  to  be  wise, 
and,  possessing  all  these  qualities,  to  exercise  them  in 
the  most  graceful  outward  manner."       Thackeray. 

"  The  poorest  man  may  be  a  gentleman  in  spirit  and 
in  daily  life.  He  may  be  honest,  truthful,  upright, 
polite,  temperate,  courageous,  self-respecting,  and  self- 
helping,  that  is,  he  may  be  a  genuine  gentleman.  As  he 
respects  himself,  he  respects  others.  A  brave  and  gentle 
character  is  often  found  under  the  humblest  garb." 

Samuel  Smiles. 

Which  description  of  a  gentleman  do  you  prefer, 
Smiles's  or  Thackeray's  ? 

What  qualities  do  you  think  make  a  gentleman? 

Tell  of  some  gentlemanly  act  that  you  have  seen. 
Name  some  one  whom  you  know  who  is  your  ideal 
gentleman.     Tell  why. 

Write  a  sketch  of  the  kind  of  gentleman  you 
admire  most. 

Notice  in  the  paragraph  quoted  above,  the  adjec- 
tives beginning  with  honest  and  ending  with  self- 
helping. 

Such  a  list  of  words  is  called  a  series. 


BOOK   ONE  243 

What  mark  is  used  to  separate  words  in  a 
series  ? 

Find  in  your  reader,  or  any  other  book,  other 
series  of  words.  (They  may  be  other  words  than 
adjectives.) 

What  mark  separates  the  words  from  one 
another?     Do  you  always  find  the  comma  used? 

Make  a  rule  about  the  use  of  the  comma  with 
words  in  series. 

What  other  uses  of  the  comma  do  you  know  ? 


Memorize : 

Be  good,  sweet  maid,  and  let  who  will  be  clever  ; 
Do  noble  deeds,  not  dream  them,  all  day  long  ; 
And  so  make  life,  death,  and  that  vast  forever 
One  grand,  sweet  song. 

Charles  Kingsley. 

So  nigh  is  grandeur  to  our  dust 

So  near  is  God  to  man. 
When  Duty  whispers  low,  '^  Thou  must," 

The  youth  replies,  "I  can." 

Emerson. 

Discuss  these  stanzas  in  class  until  you  under- 
stand them. 

So  far  as  you  have  learned  them,  give  reasons 
for  the  use  of  the  commas  in  these  stanzas. 

Write  in  your  notebook  : 


244  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Commas  are  used  to  separate  words  forming  a  series 
unless  all  the  conjunctions  are  expressed. 

Commas  are  used  to  separate  the  parts  of  a  sentence, 
when  they  need  to  be  separated  in  order  to  make  the 
thought  clear. 

CIV 


A   GENTLEMAN 
Read  : 

Sir  Philip  Sidney  was  a  true  gentleman.  He  was 
brave  and  generous  and  thought  of  others  before  him- 
self.    The  last  act  of  his  life  showed  his  character. 

It  was  upon  a  battlefield.  He  was  fighting  bravel}^ 
for  his  country  when  he  fell,  mortally  wounded.  As 
he  lay  suffering  upon  the  ground,  his  fevered  lips 
parched  with  thirst,  he  called  for  water.  A  soldier 
who  had  a  bottle  with  a  little  water  in  it  came  and 
offered  it  to  the  dying  man.  Just  then  Sir  Philip  saw 
another  wounded  soldier  lying  near  him  who  looked 
wistfully  at  the  cooling  draught.  "  Give  it  to  him, " 
said  the  dying  hero,  putting  the  bottle  away,  "  his  need 
is  greater  than  mine." 

Oral  Exercise  : 

Tell  this  story. 

Tell  what  you  think  of  this  act  of  Sir  Philip 
Sidney. 

Does  he  measure  up  to  your  ideal  of  a  gentleman  ? 

Explain  the  uses  of  quotation  marks  and  commas 
in  the  last  sentence. 

Find  and  bring  to  class  stories  of  bravery,;, 


BOOK   ONE  245 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  the  story  of  bravery  that  you  like  best. 


In  the  second  paragraph  of  the  story,  find  the 
word  lay. 

Is  it  a  past  f-orm  or  a  present  form  ?  How  can 
you  tell  this  from  the  story  ? 

How  would  you  change  it  so  as  to  tell  what  "he  " 
does  now  ?  so  as  to  tell  what  "  he  "  has  done  ? 

What  word  is  used  to  tell  about  the  wounded 
soldier  ? 

Always  say,  "  I  am  lying  down,"  or  "  He  is  lying 
down,"  not  laying  down. 

These  are  the  proper  words  to  use : 

I  lie  down  to  sleep  every  night. 
I  lay  down  to  skep  last  night. 
1  have  lain  down  to  sleep. 
I  was  lyiny  down  to  sleep. 

CV 

REVIEW  OF  PUNCTUATION 
1 

All  punctuation  marks  are  used  to  make  it  easier 
for  us  to  read  and  understand  what  we  read. 

In  ancient  times,  and  for  a  very  long  time  after 
people  had  learned  to  use  writing,  they   had   no 


246  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

punctuation  marks.  Think  how  hard  it  must  have 
been  to  read  what  had  been  written.  Indeed,  one 
of  the  greatest  difficulties  that  learned  men  now 
have  in  reading  old  books  and  inscriptions  in  ancient 
languages  is  in  finding  where  the  sentences  end. 

There  are  three  kinds  of  punctuation  marks. 

Those  of  one  kind  mark  the  ends  of  sentences. 
These  marks  are  periods  (.),  question  marks  (?),  and 
sometimes  exclamation  marks  (!). 

Another  kind  divides  sentences  into  parts  to  make 
the  meanings  plainer.  The  most  important  of  these 
is  the  comma  (,),  of  which  we  have  already  learned. 
There  are  others  that  we  shall  learn  of  later. 

The  third  kind  is  the  quotation  mark.  What  is 
its  use  ? 

Find  examples  of  each  kind  of  mark  in  your 
reader  or  other  book. 

Write  sentences  using  the  different  kinds. 

Illustrate  all  the  uses  of  the  period  and  of  the 
comma  that  you  have  learned. 


The  following  selection  has  no  punctuation. 
Read  it  and  see  if  you  can  understand  it. 

An  Allegory 

There  is  flying  through  the  world  the  story  of  a 
builder  the  foolish  eye  servant  a  poor  rogue  he  and 
his  little  ones  were  wretched  and  roofless  whereupon  a 


BOOK   ONE  247 

certain  good  Samaritan  said  in  his  heart  1  will  surprise 
this  man  with  the  gift  of  a  comfortable  home  so  without 
telling  his  purpose  he  hired  the  builder  at  fair  wages  to 
build  a  house  on  a  sunny  hill  and  then  went  on  busi- 
ness to  a  far  city  the  builder  was  left  at  work  with 
no  watchman  but  his  own  honor  ha  said  he  to  his  heart 
I  can  cheat  this  man  I  can  skimp  the  material  and  scamp 
the  work 

Below  is  given  the  remainder  of  the  story,  partly 
punctuated.  Read  it  and  see  how  much  plainer 
the  sense  is. 

So  he  went  on  spinning  out  the  time  putting  in  poor 
service  poor  nails  poor  timbers.  When  the  Samaritan 
returned  the  builder  said  That  is  a  fine  house  I  have 
built  you  on  the  hill.  Good  was  the  reply  go  move 
your  folks  into  it  at  once  for  the  house  is  yours.  Here 
is  the  deed.  The  man  was  thunderstruck.  He  saw 
that  instead  of  cheating  his  friend  for  a  year  he  had 
been  industriously  ch*^,ating  himself.  If  I  had  only 
known  it  was  my  house  I  was  building  !  he  kept 
muttering  to  himself.  But  in  a  deep  sense  we  are 
always  building  our  own  houses. 

Read  the  following  paragraphs  that  have  been 
fully  punctuated : 

An  Allegory 

There  is  flying  through  the  world  the  story  of  a 
builder,  the  foolish  eye  servant,  a  poor  rogue.  He  and 
his  little  ones  were  wretched  and  roofless,  whereupon  a 


248  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

certain  good  Samaritan  said  in  his  heart,  "I  will  sur- 
prise this  man  with  the  gift  of  a  comfortable  home." 
So,  without  telling  his  purpose,  he  hired  the  builder 
at  fair  wages  to  build  a  house  on  a  sunny  hill  and  then 
went  on  business  to  a  far  city. 

The  builder  was  left  at  work  with  no  watchman  but 
his  own  honor.  "Ha!"  said  he  to  his  heart,  "I  can 
cheat  this  man.  I  can  skimp  the  material  and  scamp 
the  work."  So  he  went  on,  spinning  out  the  time, 
putting  in  poor  service,  poor  nails,  poor  timbers. 

Edwin  Markham. 

Write  the  remaining  paragraphs  of  the  story  and 
put  in  all  the  punctuation  marks  that  you  think 
they  need. 

Discuss  your  punctuation  in  class  until  you  are 
satisfied  that  it  is  correct. 


CVI 

DON'T   CROWD 

Writing  a  Composition 


Memorize : 


Don't  crowd  ;  the  world  is  large  enough 

For  you  as  well  as  me  ; 
The  doors  of  all  are  open  wide  — 

The  realm  of  thought  is  free. 
In  all  earth's  places  you  are  right 

To  chase  the  best  you  can  — 
Provided  that  you  do  not  try 

To  crowd  some  other  man. 


BOOK   ONE  249 

Don't  crowd  the  good  from  out  your  heart 

By  fostering  all  that's  bad, 
But  give  to  every  virtue  room  — 

The  best  that  may  be  had ; 
Make  each  day's  record  such  a  one 

That  you  might  well  be  proud  ; 
Give  each  his  right  —  give  each  his  room, 

And  never  try  to  crowd. 

Charles  Dickens. 
Conversation: 

What  does  the  poem  mean  ? 

Give  some  instance  of  unkindness  or  crowding 
that  you  have  seen.  Give  instances  of  helpful- 
ness, in  contrast  with  the  crowding. 

Make  a  collection  of  pictures  illustrating  different 
kinds  of  crowding. 

Write  a  composition  on  crowding,  telling  how  peo- 
ple crowd  one  another  in  the  world.  Write  of  all  the 
kinds  of  crowding  you  have  seen  or  known  of. 

Wnat  contractions  do  you  find  in  the  poem  ? 
What  mark  shows  them  to  be  contractions  ?  Write 
the  words  out  in  full. 

When  should  cloesnt  be  used  in  place  of  dontf 

CVII 

REVIEW   OF   AVORD  MARKS 

Besides  j9imc^u«^io?i  marks,  or  marks  that  point 
off  or  divide  sentences^  we  have  learned  to  use  cer- 
tain marks  with  words. 


250  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

One  is  the  apostrophe  ('). 

The  apostrophe  is  used  to  show  that  certain  letters  have 
been  omitted,  as  in  we'll  for  we  will,  and  to  indicate  the 
possessive,  as  John's  book. 

Another  is  the  hyphen. 

The  hyphen  is  used  to  show  that  a  word  is  compound, 
or  made  of  two  words,  as  left-handed.  The  hyphen  is  used 
also  at  the  end  of  a  line  when  a  word  is  divided  between 
syllables. 

CVIII 
SCROOGE  AND  HIS  CLERK 


Read  : 


Review  of  Punctuation 


At  length  the  hour  of  shutting  up  the  counting 
house  arrived.  With  an  ill  will  Scrooge  dismounted 
from  his  stool  and  admitted  the  fact  to  the  clerk,  who 
instantly  snuffed  his  candle  out  and  put  on  his  hat. 

"  You'll  want  all  day  to-morrow,  I  suppose,"  said 
Scrooge. 

"If  quite  convenient,  sir." 

"  It's  not  convenient,"  said  Scrooge,  "  and  it's  not 
fair.  If  I  was  to  stop  half  a  crown  for  it,  you'd  think 
yourself  ill  used,  I'll  he  bound." 

The  clerk  smiled  faintly. 

"And  yet,"  said  Scrooge,  "you  don't  think  me  ill 
used  when  I  pay  a  day's  wages  for  no  work." 

The  clerk  observed  that  it  was  only  once  a  year. 


BOOK   ONE  251 

"A  poor  excuse  for  picking  a  man's  pocket  every 
twenty-fifth  of  December ! "  said  Scrooge,  buttoning 
his  great  coat  to  the  chin.  ''But  I  suppose  you  must 
have  the  whole  day.  Be  here  all  the  earlier  next 
morning." 

The  clerk  promised  that  he  would ;  and  Scrooge 
walked  out  with  a  growl. 

Charles  Dickens,  A  Christmas  Carol. 

Notice  every  mark  and  tell  why  it  is  used. 
Tell   in  what  class    each  one  belongs,  that  of 
2mnctuation  marks  or  that  of  word  marks. 


Verbs 

Scrooge  dismounted  from  his  stool. 
The  clerk  smiled  faintly. 
Scrooge  walked  out  with  a  growl. 

What  words  in  the  sentences  above  tell  what 
Scrooge  did  and  what  the  clerk  did  ? 

If  these  words  were  left  out  of  the  sentences, 
w^ould  the  remaining  words  make  statements  ? 

The  word  in  a  sentence  that  tells,  or  states, 
something  is  called  a  verb. 

Most  verbs  express  action ;  that  is,  they  tell  what 
persons  or  things  do. 

Oral  Exercise : 

Make  complete  sentences. 
Use  verbs  to  state  : 


252  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Something  that  boys  and  girls  do. 
Something  that  your  mothers  do. 
Something  that  your  fathers  do. 
Something  that  the  farmer  does. 
Something  that  the  miller  does. 
Something  that  the  miner  does. 
Something  that  horses  do. 
Something  that  rain  does. 
Something  that  the  sun  does. 
Something  that  the  wind  does. 

CIX 

PSALM  23 

1 
Read  and  study : 

The  Lord  is  my  shepherd  ;  I  shall  not  want.  He 
maketh  me  to  lie  down  in  green  pastures  :  He  leadeth 
me  beside  the  still  waters. 

He  restoreth  my  soul :  he  leadeth  me  in  the  paths 
of  righteousness  for  his  name's  sake. 

Yea,  though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil:  for  thou  art  with 
me;  thy  rod  and  thy  staff  they  comfort  me. 

Thoupreparest  a  table  before  me  in  the  presence  of 
mine  enemies:  thou  anointest  my  head  with  oil;  my 
cup  runneth  over. 

Surely  goodness  and  mercy  shall  follow  me  all  the 
(lays  of  my  life:  and  I  will  dwell  in  the  house  of  the 
Lord  forever. 

The  Bible. 


BOOK   ONE  253 

Study  each  sentence.  In  what  ways  does  the 
poet  say  that  the  Lord  is  good  to  him  ? 

Describe  fully  the  beautiful  picture  in  the  first 
paragraph. 

Commit  the  psalm  to  memory. 


Verbs 

You  have  learned  that  words  that  tell  or  state 
have  a  name  given  them.  What  is  it  ?  What  do 
most  of  these  words  tell  ? 

In  the  sentence,  "  The  Lord  is  my  shepherd," 
there  is  no  word  that  expresses  action,  bat  there  is 
a  word  that  states.  If  you  were  to  leave  out  the 
little  word  is,  would  the  other  words  make  a 
statement  ? 

The  word  is,  then,  is  the  verb  in  this  sentence. 

Read  the  paragraph  from  Hawthorne  on  page  238, 
and  find  the  verbs  that  do  not  express  action. 

Oral  Exercise  : 

Make  statements  out  of  these  groups  of  words 
by  inserting  words  that  state : 

Night  here.     The  sky  clear  and  darkly 

blue.     The  moon  just  above    the  horizon.     The 

stars twinkling  brightly.     The  air still,  and 

sweet  with  the  fragrance  of  flowers.     The  songs  of  the 
birds   hushed.     The   voices   of   the   people 


254  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

still.     The  lights  in  the  windows  out.     Every- 
thing   cit  rest. 

Write  in  your  notebooks  : 

A  word  that  states  is  called  a  verb. 

You  have  learned  that  many  words  have  differ- 
ent forms  according  to  the  time  they  express.  Are 
those  words  verbs?     Why  ? 

When  has  or  have  is  used  with  them,  how  many 
words  form  the  verb  ? 

Find  the  verbs  in  the  story  of  Sir  Philip  Sidney 
(p.  244).     Make  a  list  of  them. 

One  of  them  gives  a  command.     Which  is  it  ? 

CX 

LANDSEER 

The  Stuily  of  a  Picture 

1 
Read : 

The  picture  of  dogs  on  the  next  page  was  painted 
by  Sir  Edwin  Henry  Landseer,  one  of  the  greatest  of 
animal  painters. 

Landseer  began  to  paint  when  he  was  a  very  little 
boy.  His  father  was  an  engraver,  who  began  to  teach 
his  son  the  use  of  pencil  and  brush  when  the  boy  was  a 
mere  baby.  When  Edwin  was  only  five  years  old,  he  is 
said  to  have  painted  some  good  pictures  of  animals.  At 
eight,  he  painted  some  excellent  pictures,  which  are  still 
to  be  seen  with  the  dates  on  them,  as  they  were  written 
by  the   younqf  artist's  proud  father.     Landseer  loved 


BOOK   ONE 


255 


256  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

his  animals  and  in  his  pictures  he  usually  painted  them 
as  having  the  same  feelings  as  people.  He  often  gave 
names  to  his  pictures  that  suggest  people,  as  A  Member 
of  the  Benevolent  Society. 

Do  you  notice  in  this  picture  any  expressions  on 
the  dogs'  faces  and  in  their  attitudes  that  make 
you  think  of  human  beings  ?  Did  you  ever  notice 
such  expressions  on  the  faces  of  animals  ? 

Tell  the  story  of  Sir  Edwin  Landseer. 

Write  of  some  animal  that  you  have  seen  that 
made  you  think  of  human  beings. 


The  Study  of  the  Picture 
Conversation  : 

Which  of  these  dogs  do  you  like  the  better? 

Which  dog  lives  in  the  house  ? 

Why  do  you  think  he  lives  there  ? 

Why  does  he  look  so  contented  and  bappy  ? 

What  kind  of  expression  has  the  little  dog  ? 

Do  you  think  he  wants  something  ? 

What  does  he  want  ? 

What  would  you  call  him  ? 

Where  do  you  suppose  he  lives  ? 

What  do  you  think  the  big  dog  is  thinking  ? 

How  does  the  little  dog  ask  for  what  he  wants? 

Do  you  think  the  large  dog  likes  the  little  dog? 

Which  dog  would  you  trust  ?     Why  ? 

Write  a  story  about  the  picture. 


BOOK   ONE  257 


Verbs 

Select  all  the  verbs  that  you  can  find  in  the  story 
of  Landseer,  and  write  them  in  a  list. 

Why  are  these  words  verbs  ? 

Notice  the  verb  began  in  the  second  paragraph. 
Is  it  in  the  present  or  the  past  form  ? 

What  is  the  present  form  of  this  verb?  What 
form  is  used  after  has  or  have  f 

Change  the  verb  in  this  sentence  to  the  past 
form  and  then  to  the  form  used  with  have:  The 
flowers  begin  to  blossom. 

How  do  we  change  the  vowel  in  heghi  to  make 
the  past  form  ?  How  do  we  change  it  to  make  the 
form  used  with  ha^^e? 

Our  language  contains  several  verbs  that  are 
changed  in  the  same  way  as  hegin.  Among  them 
are  ring^  sing,  swim,  spring. 

Write  the  three  forms  of  each  of  these  verbs 
under  the  proper  headings. 

Use  each  of  the  forms  in  a  sentence  of  your  own. 
Read  the  sentences  aloud  in  class. 

CXI 
PRONOUNS 

What  are  nouns  ? 

When  you  speak  of  yourself,  do  you  always  use 
your  name  ?     What  other  words  do  you  sometimes 


258  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

use?  When  you  are  speaking  to  other  people,  or 
of  them,  do  you  always  use  their  names?  When 
you  are  speaking  of  things,  do  you  always  name 
them  ? 

Read  this  paragraph : 

Dr.  Franklin  watched  his  cord  and  at  once  he  saw  it 
shake  as  if  it  had  been  struck.  Then  he  put  his  fingers 
to  the  key  and  saw  a  spark  and  felt  a  shock  such  as  he 
had  caused  by  the  use  of  his  glass  rod  and  silk. 

Write  in  a  list  all  the  nouns  in  this  paragraph. 
There  are  certain  words  used  here  in  the  place  of 
the  names  of  Dr.  Franklin  and  of  the  things  he 
used.  See  if  you  can  find  them.  If  the  nouns 
were  used,  the  paragraph  would  read  like  this  : 

Dr.  Franklin  watched  Dr.  Franklin's  cord  and  at 
once  Dr.  Franklin  saw  the  cord  shake  as  if  the  cord 
had  been  struck.  Then  Dr.  Franklin  put  Dr.  Frank- 
lin's fingers  to  the  key  and  saw  a  spark  and  felt  a  shock 
such  as  Dr.  Franklin  had  caused  by  the  use  of  Dr. 
Franklin's  glass  rod  and  silk. 

This  would  be  very  awkward,  would  it  not  ? 
Read  the  following : 

Aladdin  said  to  the  Genie,  "  The  palace  which  I 
built  ioY  my  princess  is  lost,  /command  you  to  take 
me  to  it  and  set  me  down  under  the  Princess  Badroul- 
boudour's  window." 

If  nouns  w^ere  used  to  name  all  the  persons  or 
things  in  this  quotation,  it  would  read : 


BOOK   ONE  259 

Aladdin  said  to  the  Genie,  "  The  palace  which  Aladdin 
built  for  Aladdin's  princess  is  lost.  Aladdin  commands 
the  Genie  to  take  Aladdin  to  the  palace  and  set  Aladdin 
down  under  the  Princess  Badroulboudour's  window." 

7,  you,  me\  and  it  are  used  instead  of  nouns. 

Words  used  instead  of  nouns  are  called  pronouns. 

Turn  to  page  246,  "  An  Allegory,"  and  pick  out 
all  the  pronouns  that  you  can. 

CXII 

THE   SENTENCE 

Subject  and  Predicate 
1 

1.  Great  deeds  cannot  die.     Tennyson. 

What  does  this  sentence  tell  about?  What  does 
it  say  about  them  ? 

2.  Kings  have  long  arms.      Latin  Proverb. 

What  does  this  sentence  tell  about  ?  What  does 
it  say  about  them?  You  have  already  seen  that 
every  sentence  may  he  divided  into  two  parts.  One 
part  names  a  person  or  thing ;  the  other  says  some- 
thing about  it.  What  it  says  may  he  a  statement, 
a  question,  or  a  command. 

What  the  sentence  is  about  is  called  the  subject 

In  a  command,  the  word  you  is  the  subject  and 

ia  usually  omitted.  ■  i^:.:^- 


260  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

What  is  said  about  the  subject  is  called  the 
predicate. 

The  words  great  deeds  are  the  subject  of  sentence 
1.     The  words  cannot  die  are  the  predicate. 

What  is  the  subject  and  what  the  predicate  of 
sentence  2  ? 

Write  separately  the  subject  and  the  predicat(^ 
of  each  of  the  following  sentences  : 

The  bluebird  sings  in  the  apple  tree. 

The  mouse  ran  up  the  clock. 
Edison  invented  the  phonograph. 


I  we  she  her 

he  him  they  them 

These  words  are  all  used  instead  of  nouns. 

What  are  they  called  ? 

Which  do  you  use  in  speaking  of  yourself  alone  ? 

Which  do  you  use  in  speaking  of  yourself  and 
some  one  else,  thought  of  together  ? 

How  do  you  use  the  other  words  in  the  list  ? 

Which  of  them  mean  but  one  ? 

In  what  number  are  they  ? 

In  what  number  are  the  others  ? 

Which  of  these  words  are  used  in  statements 
after  is  and  ivasf 

The  same  words  are  used  also  as  subjects  of 
sentences. 


BOOK  ONE  261 

Study  these  sentences : 

Jimmy  and  /  are  going  to  play  marbles. 

He  and  /went  to  the  circus  yesterday. 

She  and  Margaret  have  gone  after  wild  flowers. 

We  boys  built  a  boat. 

They  are  your  books,  not  mine. 

Tell  what  word  or  words  form  the  subject  of 
each  sentence. 

In  speaking,  have  you  ever  used  other  pronouns 
where  /,  he,  she,  loe  and  they  are  used  in  these 
sentences  ? 

Be  careful  always  to  use  the  right  pronouns. 

Write  in  your  notebooks  : 

We  use  /,  he,  she,  we  and  they  as  subjects  of  sentences. 
We  also  use  /,  he,  she,  we  and  the/  after  the  verbs  /s 
and  was. 

CXIII 

MINING 

Writing  a  Description  and  a  Letter 

1 
Read : 

You  live  in  the  air  and  the  sunshine,  whether  your 
home  is  in  the  city  or  the  country.  Yet  you  use  dail}^ 
many  things  that  are  made  of  iron  or  copper  or  other 
materials  that  are  found  deep  in  the  earth.  They 
are  brought  out  for  us  by  men,  much  of  whose  lives 
must  be  spent  away  from  the  sunshine  and  the  flowers, 
in  dark  passages  far  below  the  roots  of  the  trees. 


262  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Make  a  list  of  things  that  you  use  which  come 
from  mines. 

Select  one  and  find  all  you  can  about  it. 

Tell  how  it  is  mined  and  how  prepared  for  use. 

Write  an  account  of  the  mining  of  this  product. 

2 
The  Miner 

Find  all  you  can  about  the  miners  of  the  product 
you  are  studying. 

Conversation : 
Discuss : 

Where  they  come  from. 
In  what  kind  of  houses  they  live. 
How  they  do  their  work. 
How  necessary  the  miners  are  to  us  all. 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  a  letter  to  a  mining  superintendent,  apply- 
ing for  a  position  as  foreman  in  his  mine. 

To  the  Teacher:  Select  for  these  lessons  the  mining  industry 
most  easily  studied  by  your  children,  —  if  possible,  one  that  can  be 
visited. 

CXIV 

COAL 

Word  Study 
Read : 

Thousands  of  years  ago  this  earth  was  very  much 
warmer  than  it  is  now.      In  many  places  there  were 


BOOK   ONE  263 

great  swamps  of  warm  water,  from  which  vast  clouds 
of  steam,  arising,  filled  the  air  and  sent  down  again 
floods  of  warm  rain. 

In  these  immense  swamps  grew  the  most  wonderful 
vegetation  ever  seen.  There  were  enormous  trees  of 
soft,  pulpy  wood,  ferns  as  big  as  trees,  and  many  plants 
of  such  queer  shapes  that  you  would  not  know  them. 

These  strange  plants  grew  so  close  together  that  a 
man,  if  there  had  been  one,  could  not  have  passed 
through  the  jungle.  As  they  grew  old,  and  died  and 
fell,  they  were  covered  by  the  water.  Countless  thou- 
sands fell  each  year  for  many  years,  and  were  buried 
out  of  sight  in  the  deep  swamps. 

Slowly,  as  the  years  passed,  these  swamps  sank  and 
dirt  was  washed  in,  or  thrown  up  over  them,  and  cov- 
ered them  deep  in  the  ground  with  all  their  fallen  trees. 
The  dirt  became  rock  and  pressed  down  upon  the 
buried  plants,  squeezing  them  tighter  than  you  can 
imagine.  The  heat  from  the  earth  cooked  them,  and 
between  the  heat  and  the  pressure  everything  but  the 
hard  black  carbon  was  squeezed  out  of  these  plants. 
And  that  black  carbon  lay  under  this  weight  of  rocks 
and  earth,  till  one  day  some  men  digging  in  the  ground 
found  it  and  thought  it  a  strange  black  rock.  But  by 
chance  a  piece  of  it  was  thrown  into  the  fire,  when  lo  I 
the  black  rock  burned  as  if  it  were  wood. 

Then  men  rejoiced,  for  a  new  kind  of  fuel  had  been 
found,  to  keep  them  warm  and  cook  their  food,  and 
they  called  it  coal. 

And  now,  many,  many  men  spend  their  days  in  the 
dark  bowels  of  the  earth,  digging  out  these  buried 
forests  of  long  ago  for  you  and  me. 


264  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Tell  this  story. 

Study,  with  the  aid  of  the  dictionary,  the  follow- 
ing words  in  the  story  of  coal. 

Swamps,  vast,  arising,  floods,  wonderful,  vegeta- 
tion, enormous,  pulpy,  ferns,  queer,  jungle,  count- 
less, buried,  imagine,  carbon,  pressure^  fuel. 

Substitute  pronouns  for  any  of  the  nouns,  or 
nouns  for  any  of  the  pronouns,  without  making 
the  meaning  less  clear. 

Learn  all  you  can  about  coal  and  how  it  is 
mined. 

Tell  what  you  have  learned. 

cxv 

WORD   SEARCH  IN  READERS 
Pronouns  and  Verbs 


Three   words,  am,   is,  are,  belong   to  the  same 
family.     What  family  is  it  ? 

Which  of  these  do  you  use  with  /  ? 
Search  your  readers  and  make  sure  you  are  right. 
Which  do  you  use  with  you,  he,  she,  it,  they  ? 
Prove  it  from  your  readers. 


To  the  Teacher :  To  avoid  confusion,  the  teacher  should  select 
the  passages  in  the  reader  in  which  the  children  are  to  search  for 
words. 


BOOK   ONE  265 

Write  a  statement  of  what  you  have  proved, 
as,  We  say,  *'  I  am,''  '-you  are!'  Copy  it  in  your 
notebooks. 

2 

Two  other  words  belong  to  the  same  family  as 
am,  is,  and  are.     They  are  ivas  and  loere. 

Can  you  tell  how  they  differ  in  meaning  from 
am,  is,  are  ?  ' 

Which  do  you  use  Avith  /,  we,  you,  lie,  she,  it, 
they  f 

Write  your  answers.  Copy  them  in  your  note- 
book. 

There  are  still  other  expressions  belonging  to  the 
same  family.  Two  of  them  are  have  been  and  has 
been. 

Which  of  these  two  expressions  can  you  use  with 
/,  ive,  you,  she,  it,  they  f        ' 

Write  them  in  sentences. 

Do  and  does  are  two  other  common  verbs. 

Which  do  you  use  with  I,  we,  you,  he,  she,  it, 
they  ? 

Find  them  in  your  readers  or  other  books,  and 
make  sure  you  are  right. 

What  is  the  contraction  of  do  not  f    Of  does  not? 


Write  in  a  column  each  word  in  the  list  (1)  be- 
low.    Then  write  opposite  ^ach  of  these,  words  all 


266  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

the  words  in  the  list  (2)  that  can  be  correctly  used 
with  it. 

(1)  I        we        you        he        she        it        they 

(2)  am    are    is    was    loere    has    have    do    does 
as,  I  am,  was,  have,  do. 

CXVI 

MAGELLAN 

General  Review 

To  the  Teacher :  See  note  G,  page  325. 


Memorize  : 


Behind  him  lay  the  gray  Azores, 

Behind  the  Gates  of  Hercules ; 
Before  him  not  the  ghost  of  shores, 

Before  him  only  shoreless  seas. 

The  good  mate  said  :  "  Now  must  we  pray. 

For  lo  !  the  very  stars  are  gone. 
Brave  Admiral,  speak  —  what  shall  I  say?" 

"  Why,  say,  '  Sail  on  !  sail  on  !  and  on  ! '  " 

From  Columbus  by  Joaquin  Miller. 

1 

FERDINAND  MAGELLAN 
Head : 

Wonderful  stories  were  floating  about   the   Portu- 
guese Court.     It  was  said  that  Christopher  Columbus 


BOOK   ONE  267 

had  returned  to  Spain  from  his  first  voyage  with  news 
of  great  discoveries.  He  had  visited  new  lands  and 
strange  people,  and  had  brought  back  a  rich  cargo  of 
gold  and  pearls,  sweet-smelling  spices,  and  the  feathers 
of  beautiful  birds.  The  twelve-year-old  P^erdinand 
Magellan,  who  was  living  at  the  Court  as  page  to  the 
queen,  because  he  was  the  son  of  noble  parents,  listened 
with  wide-open  eyes  to  these  stories  of  adventure.  To 
him  every  sailor  was  a  hero,  and  to  be  a  discoverer  was 
the  dream  of  his  life.  He  wondered  if  the  time  would 
ever  come  when  he  too  would  sail  away  over  the  wide 
ocean  to  hunt  new  lands  for  his  country,  and  come  back 
with  precious  cargoes,  and  stories  of  people  that  had 
never  been  heard  of  before. 

After  reading  the  above  story,  find  out  all  you 
can  in  your  geography,  your  history,  and  other 
books  about  the  early  years  of  Magellan. 

Talk  about  it  in  class.  Write  on  the  blackboard 
the  principal  facts  in  good  paragraphs,  one  for 
each  of  the  topics  in  the  outline  given  below. 

Boyhood 

a.  Noble  birth. 

h.  Dreams.     (Love  of  adventure.) 

c.  Early  education.     (Page  to  the  queen.) 

d.  Character. 

Expressive  Activities  : 

Gather  pictures  from  magazines  and  other 
sources  to  illustrate  your  story. 


268  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Written  Exercise  : 

Write  the  story  of  Magellan's  boyhood. 

Write  an  imaginary  letter  by  Magellan  to  a 
friend,  telling  about  his  life  as  page  to  the 
queen. 

2 
Conversation  : 

How  much  of  the  world  was  known  to  Magel- 
lan ? 

Why  were  people  beginning  to  believe  the  world 
round  ? 

What  did  they  know  and  believe  about  the 
western  hemisphere  ? 

(This  should  be  studied  with  the  aid  of  a  globe.) 

What  did  Magellan  think  about  the  shape  of 
the  world  ? 

3 

Plans  and  Preparations 

a.    What  plans  did  he  make? 

h.    Tell  about  the  preparation  of  the  fleet. 

c.    How  do  his  ships  compare  with  those  of  to-day? 

Expressive  Activities  : 

Get  pictures  to  illustrate  your  comparison  of 
ships. 

Select  one  section  and  write  the  conversations 
of  the  different  persons,  as  a  play.  Choose  char- 
acters, and  act  your  play. 


BOOK   ONE  269 

Study  as  many  of  the  following  topics  as  you 
can.  Talk  over  those  that  you  study,  and  write 
one  of  the  stories. 

1.  Landings  and  Discoveries. 

2.  A  New  \yater  Passage. 

3.  Voyage  on  the  Pacific. 

4.  Adventures  in   the    Philippines,    Death    of 
Magellan. 

5.  Return  of  the  Victoria,  Welcome  Home. 

6.  Results  of  the  Voyage. 

7.  Magellan,  the  Great  Navigator. 

8.  The  ^yorld  before  Magellan  and  after. 

CXVII 
STUDIES   FROM   DICKENS 

Indirect  Quotations 

1 
Bead : 

"  Well,  Mr.  Johnson,"  said  Miss  Crummies,  seated 
there  in  full  regal  costume,  "  next  week  for  Ryde,  then 
for  Winchester,  then  for  —  " 

'^  I  iiave  some  reason  to  fear,"  interrupted  Nicholas, 
"  that  before  you  leave  here  my  career  with  you  will 
have  closed." 

"  Closed  !"  cried  Miss  Crummies,  raising  her  hands 
in  astonishment. 

"  Closed  !  "  cried  Miss  Snevelicci  (Snev-il-ic-ci). 

"  Why  he  don't  mean  to  say  he's  going  !  "  exclaimed 
Miss  Grudden,  making  her  way  toward  Miss  Crummies. 


270  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

"Hoitytoity!  nonsense." 

Nicholas  briefly  said  that  he  feared  it  would  be  so, 
although  he  could  not  yet  speak  with  any  degree  of 
certainty.  From  Nicholas  Nickleby. 

Read  all  the  quotations  in  the  above  selection. 
They   give   the    exact   words   of    the   different 
speakers. 

Quotations  that  give  the  exact  words  of  the  persons 
quoted  are  called  direct  quotations. 

Notice  the  last  paragraph.  Is  it  a  quotation  ? 
It  tells  what  Nicholas  said,  but  does  not  give  the 
exact  words  that  he  used.  It  is  called  an  indirect 
quotation. 

Indirect  quotations  are  not  inclosed  in  quotation 
marks. 

If  what  Nicholas  said  were  written  as  a  direct 
quotation,  it  would  read  : 

"  I  fear  it  will  be  so,  although  I  cannot  yet 
speak  with  any  degree  of  certainty.'* 


Read : 

He  lay  in  bed  all  that  day,  dozing  and  dreaming, 
and  looking  at  Mr.  Toots  ;  but  got  up  on  the  next  and 
went  downstairs.  Lo  and  behold,  there  was  something 
the  matter  with  the  great  clock  ;  and  a  workman  on  a 
pair  of  steps  had  taken  us  face  off  and  was  poking  in- 
struments into  the  works  by  the  light  of  a  candle  I 


BOOK   ONE  271 

This  was  a  great  event  for  Paul,  who  sat  down  on  the 
bottom  stair  and  watched  the  operation  attentively,  now 
and  then  glancing  at  the  clock  face,  leaning  all  askew, 
against  the  wall  hard  by,  and  feeling  a  little  confused 
by  a  suspicion  that  it  was  ogling  him. 

The  workman  on  the  steps  was  very  civil,  and,  as  he 
said,  when  he  observed  Paul,  "  How  do  you  do.  Sir  ?  " 
Paul  got  into  conversation  with  him,  and  told  him  he 
hadn't  been  quite  well  lately.  The  ice  being  thus 
broken,  Paul  asked  him  a  multitude  of  questions  about 
chimes  and  clocks,  as  whether  people  watched  up  in  the 
lonely  church  steeples  by  night  to  make  them  strike, 
and  how  the  bells  were  rung  when  people  died,  and 
whether  thos3  were  different  bells  from  wedding  bells, 
or  only  sounded  dismal  in  the  fancies  of  the  living. 
Finding  that  his  new  acquaintance  was  not  very  well 
informed  on  the  subject  of  the  curfew  bell  of  ancient 
days,  Paul  gave  him  an  account  of  that  institution,  and 
also  asked  him,  as  a  practical  man,  what  he  thought 
about  King  Alfred's  idea  of  measuring  time  by  the 
burning  of  candles  ;  to  which  the  Avorkman  replied 
that  he  thought  it  would  be  the  ruin  of  the  clock  trade 
if  it  was  to  come  up  again.  In  fine,  Paul  looked  on 
until  the  clock  had  quite  recovered  its  familiar  aspect 
and  resumed  its  sedate  inquiry ;  when  the  workman, 
putting  away  his  tools  in  a  long  basket,  bade  him  good 
day  and  went  away.  From  Dombey  and  So7i. 

Notice  that  in  the  second  paragraph  of  the  above 
selection  Paul  and  the  workman  talk,  but"  usually 
their  exact  words  are  not  given.  The  quotations 
are  indirect. 


272  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

How  many  remarks  does  Paul  make?  How 
many  the  workman  ?     Read  them  separately. 

What  one  direct  quotation  is  given  ? 

"Paul  got  into  conversation  with  him,  and  told 
him  he  hadn  t  been  quite  well  lately T  How  would 
you  write  as  a  direct  quotation,  "he  hadn't  been 
quite  well  lately  "  ? 

Rewrite  the  entire  paragraph,  changing  all  the 
indirect  quotations  to  direct. 


"  I  don't  know  what  day  of  the  month  it  is,"  said 
Scrooge.  "  I  don't  know  how  long  I  have  been  among 
the  spirits.  I  don't  know  anything.  I'm  quite  a 
baby." 

"  It's  Christmas  Day  !  "  said  Scrooge  to  himself.  "  I 
haven't  missed  it.  The  spirits  have  done  it  all  in  one 
night.  They  can  do  anything  they  like.  Of  course 
they  can." 

"  I'll  send  it  to  Bob  Cratchit's,"  whispered  Scrooge, 
rubbing  his  hands  and  splitting  with  a  laugh.  "  He 
shan't  know  who  sends  it.  It's  twice  the  size  of  Tiny 
Tim." 

From  A  Christmas  Carol. 

Rewrite  the  above  quotations  as  indirect  quo- 
tations. 

Copy  all  the  contractions  in  the  selection  and 
write  the  words  for  which  each  stands. 


BOOK   ONE  273 

CXVIII 
BUSINESS   LETTERS 


Usually  in  a  large  business,  several  people  are 
associated  together  in  a  firm  or  company,  and  have 
an  especial  name  by  which  they  are  called  and 
which  must  be  used  in  writing  to  them,  as  Silver, 
Burdett  &  Co.,  George  S.  Small,  Jr.,  and  Company, 
White  Bear  Spring  Co.,  Coult  &  Howell. 

In  waiting  business  letters  either  to  individuals 
or  to  companies  it  is  customary  to  write  the  name 
and  address  at  the  head  of  the  letter  above  the 
salutation. 

The  salutation  is  more  formal  than  in  a  personal 
letter.  The  common  form  in  writing  to  an  in- 
dividual is  Dear  Sir,  to  a  firm  or  corporation,  Dear 
Sirs  or  Gentlemen. 

Copy : 

George  S.  Small,  Jr.,  and  Company, 
62  Broadway,  New  York. 
Dear  Sirs : 


White  Bear  Spring  Company, 

600  Washington  Square, 
New  York. 
Gentlemen : 


274  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

State  Normal  School, 

Oshkosh,  Wisconsin, 
Jan.  5, 1906. 
American  Paper  Company, 

510  West  23d  St.,  New  York. 

Dear  Sirs : 

Kindly  send  to  me  at  the  above  address,  at  your 
earliest  convenience,  500  embossed  letter  lieads,  like 
the  inclosed  sample,  and  charge  to  the  account  of  the 
State  Normal  Board. 

Yours  sincerely, 

R.  H.  Halsey, 

President. 


510  West  23d  St.,  New  York, 
Jan.  9,  1906. 
R.  H.  Halsey, 

Oshkosh,  Wisconsin. 

Dear  Sir : 

Your  order  for  500  letter  heads  is  received  and  shall 
receive  our  prompt  attention. 

Yours  truly, 

American  Paper  Company. 

Per.  C. 


The  closing  phrase  of  a  business  letter  is  usually 
simply  Yours  truly  or  Yours  sincerely,  or  some- 
times Yours  very  truly  or  Yours  resjyect fully. 

The  address  of  the  writer  of  a  business  letter 


BOOK   ONE  275 

should  always  be  given.  If  it  is  not  printed  on  the 
letter  head,  it  should  be  written  either  with  the 
heading  or  after  the  signature. 

Copy : 

Yours  sincerely, 

Lanpher,  Finch,  and  Skinner, 
240  Fourth  St., 

St.  Paul,  Minnesota. 

Yours  very  sincerely, 

T.  D.  Merwin, 

35  Wall  St.,  New  York. 


Write  headings,  salutations,  closing  phrases,  and 
signatures  for  letters  from  Hughes  and  Hughes, 
1780  Thh^d  Ave.,  New  York,  to  F.  A.  Rising, 
Winona,  Minnesota. 

From  Owen  Moore  &  Co.,  280  Congress  St., 
Portland,  Maine,  to  the  National  Cash  Register 
Co.,  1170  Broadway,  New  York. 

From  Dr.  F.  A.  Skaife,  University  Club,  San 
Francisco,  California,  to  M.  D.  Painter,  Hotel 
Pintoresco,  Pasadena,  California. 

A  woman  signing  her  name  to  a  business  letter 
should  always  indicate  whether  she  is  married  or 
single.     It  is  done  in  this  way  : 

(Miss)  Marian  Hill. 

Mrs.  E.  S.  (Grace)  Eaton,  or  if  a  widow  (Mrs.) 
Helen  C.  Stacy. 


276  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

In  writing  to  a  woman  on  business  use  the  form 
of  salutation  Dear  Madam  or  Dear  Madame,  using 
the  latter  for  a  married  woman  only. 

On  the  envelopes  the  addresses  should  be : 

Miss  Marian  Hill. 
Mrs.  E.  S.  Eaton. 
Mrs.  Helen  C.  Stacy. 

Copy  the  above  signatures  and  addresses. 

Play  that  the  different  members  of  the  class  are 
in  business.  Use  the  names  of  business  houses  that 
you  know,  and  write  letters  to  one  another. 

CXIX 

THE  POST 
1 

If  you  were  really  to  send  your  letter,  how  would 
it  get  to  the  place  where  your  friend  is  ?  Find  out 
all  you  can  about  the  different  people  who  would 
help  it  along,  the  different  vehicles  it  would  travel 
in,  and  what  would  be  done  to  it  along  the  route. 

Suggestions : 

The  letter  box.     The  postman.     The  post  office. 
The  postmaster.     What  he  does  to  the  letter. 
The  mail  bag.     The  mail  car.     The  men  in  the 
mail  car.     What  they  do  with  the  letter. 
The  mail  wagon. 
The  post  office  again. 


BOOK   ONE  277 

The  letter  carrier. 

If  you  can,  visit  the  post  office  and  find  out  all 
about  the  way  letters  are  sent.  Talk  about  it  fully 
in  class. 

Read : 

You  see,  it  takes  many  people  to  carry  your  letter, 
and  all  that  you  have  to  pay  for  what  they  do  is  the 
price  of  a  postage  stamp. 

Your  government  does  all  this  for  you.  It  costs  the 
government  a  great  deal  to  carry  all  the  letters  and 
papers  of  all  the  people. 

A  portion  of  this  expense  is  met  by  the  sale  of  post- 
age stamps,  which  the  government  makes.  Where 
does  the  remainder  of  the  money  needed  come  from  ? 

The  President  appoints  a  man  known  as  the  Post- 
master General^  who  has  charge  of  all  the  business  of 
carrying  the  mails.  The  President  and  the  Postmaster 
General  appoint  all  the  postmasters  and  other  people 
who  have  anything  to  do  with  the  mail.  They  make 
contracts  with  the  railroad  and  steamboat  companies 
and  other  people  to  carry  the  mail  bags  from  one  post 
office  to  another. 

If  your  letter  is  sent  to  a  foreign  land,  as  England  or 
Russia,  it  will  find  other  people  in  that  country  all  ready 
to  take  it  and  carry  it  to  the  person  to  whom  it  is 
written.  These  people  are  appointed  by  the  government 
of  that  country. 

So  you  can  send  a  letter  anywhere  in  the  civilized 
world,  and  be  quite  sure  that,  if  you  direct  it  correctly 
and  add  the  proper  postage,  it  will  reach  the  person  to 
whom  you  send  it. 


278  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Is  it  not  wonderful,  what  the  great,  busy  world  does 
for  even  the  youngest  of  us  ? 

Read  what  is  given  here  and  find  out  all  you  can 
from  other  sources  about  what  the  government 
does  in  order  that  we  may  send  letters  where  we 
wish  and  how  it  does  it. 

Tell  in  class  what  you  have  found  out. 


Read : 

It  is  very  important  that  you  direct  all  letters  care- 
fully. If  you  do  not,  the  postmaster  will  not  know 
where  to  send  them. 

Many  letters  are  mailed  every  year  so  carelessly 
directed  that  they  cannot  be  sent  to  the  person  for 
whom  they  are  intended. 

If  the  postmaster  can  tell  who  sent  such  a  letter,  he 
returns  it  to  the  sender  for  better  direction.  A  business 
man  usually  has  printed  on  the  outside  of  his  envelopes 
his  name  and  address,  so  that  a  letter  not  properly 
directed,  or  sent  to  people  who  cannot  be  found,  may 
be  returned  to  him. 

There  is  in  Washington  a  special  department  for  mis- 
directed and  uncalled-for  letters.  It  is  known  as  the 
dead-letter  office. 

Learn  all  you  can  about  the  dead-letter  office 
and  tell  about  it. 

How  should  letters  be  addressed  ? 

Sometimes  it  is  necessary,  in  order  to  avoid  mis- 


BOOK   ONE  279 

takes,  to  put  upon  an  envelope  even  fuller  directions 
than  the  formal  ones  given. 

For  example,  your  friends,  Helen  M.  Stout  and 
Jack  Stout,  are  visiting  their  uncle,  Alfred  Hen- 
derson, in  Ridgefield,  Connecticut.  Your  friends 
are  not  known  to  the  postmaster  there.  It  is  well 
in  that  case  to  address  the  envelope  in  this  way : 

Cojpy : 

Miss  Helen  M.  Stout, 

Care  of  Mr.  Alfred  Henderson, 
Ridgefield, 

Conn, 
or, 
Master  Jack  Stout, 

Ridgefield, 

Conn. 
Care  of  Mr.  Alfred  Henderson. 

Make  models  of  envelopes,  and  put  on  them  dif- 
ferent forms  of  address. 

Expressive  Activities  : 

If  you  can,  build  of  thin  wood  or  cardboard  a 
post  office,  make  mail  bags  and  mail  wagons.  Ap- 
point a  postmaster,  and  send  letters  to  one  another 
through  your  post  office. 

Written  Exercise  : 

Imagine  yourself  to  be  a  letter.  Write  a  story 
telling  the  experiences  of  your  journey,  taking  up 
each  of  the  following  topics : 


280  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Where,  when,  and  by  whom  I  was  written. 

What  was  done  with  me. 

The  journey  from  the  letter  box  to  the  post 
office. 

What  happened  at  the  post  office. 

How  I  reached  the  station. 

The  journey  on  the  railroad. 

What  happened  when  I  reached  the  city  to  which 
I  was  sent. 

Experiences  in  the  postman's  bag  in  the  new 
city. 

The  welcome  of  friends  to  whom  I  was  sent. 

cxx 

STORIES  TO   TELL 

Read  each  of  the  following  stories  silently ;  then 
tell  it  in  class. 

Pine  Tree  Legend 

The  pine  tree  is  often  spoken  of  as  the  "sighing 
pine."     The  story  of  its  presence  in  America  is  this: 

A  little  young  pine  was  singing  with  its  happy 
brothers  in  their  woodland  home  in  some  far-away 
country.  A  traveler  came.  Here  was  a  tree  he  had 
never  seen  before,  so  pretty,  and  graceful,  and 
musical  ! 

Very  carefully  he  took  it  from  its  soil,  and  carried 
it  across  the  water  to  a  strange  land.  The  little  pine 
was  lonesome,  and  oh,  so  homesick  I     Is  it  any  wonder 


BOOK   ONE  281 

that  its  soft  music  was  changed  to  sighing,  and  that 

it  and  all  its  children  are  still  sighing  for  their  native 

soil  ? 

Benjamin  Fkanklin's  Story 

Dr.  Franklin  one  day  related  the  following  story  to 
Thomas  Jefferson,  who  was  feeling  hurt  because  some 
people  had  found  fault  with  some  of  his  expressions  in 
the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

An  apprentice  hatter,  having  served  his  time,  was 
about  to  open  a  shop  for  himself.  He  wanted  a  hand- 
some signboard,  with  this  inscription,  —  ''John  Thomp- 
son, Hatter,  makes  and  sells  hats  for  ready  money." 
Underneath  was  to  be  the  figure  of  a  hat.  But  he 
thought  he  would  let  his  friends  see  the  inscription  first. 
The  first  to  whom  he  showed  it  thought  the  word 
"  hatter  "  unnecessary,  because  it  was  followed  by  the 
words  "makes  hats,"  which  showed  he  was  a  hatter. 
It  was  struck  out.  The  next  observed  that  the  word 
"makes"  might  be  omitted,  because  his  customers 
would  not  care  who  made  the  hats,  if  only  they 
were  good.  He  struck  it  out.  A  third  said  he 
thought  the  words  "  for  ready  money "  were  useless, 
as  it  was  not  the  custom  of  the  place  to  sell  on  credit. 
They  were  parted  with.  The  inscription  now  read : 
"John  Thompson  sells  hats."  "Sells  hats?"  said 
his  next  friend  ;  "  why,  nobody  will  expect  you  to  give 
them  away.  What  then  is  the  use  of  that  word?"  It 
was  stricken  out,  and  "hats"  followed  it,  because  the 
figure  of  a  hat  was  on  the  sign.  So  the  inscription 
was  reduced  to  "John  Thompson,"  with  the  figure  of 
a  hat  below  the  name. 

Which  was  the  best  sign  ?     Why  ? 


282  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

CXXI 

BOTH   PUZZLED 

Tell  all  the  things  that  you  see  in  the  picture 
on  the  opposite  page.  Tell  what  puzzles  them. 
What  do  you  think  of  this  school  ? 

Would  you  like  to  go  to  such  a  school  ? 

Do  you  think  you  would  like  the  teacher  ?    Why  ? 

Write  a  story  suggested  by  the  picture. 

CXXII 

ELECTRICITY 

1 

Experiments  and  Records 

If  you  can,  get  a  long  piece  of  sealing  wax  and 
a  woolen  cloth.  Rub  the  wax  hard  with  the  cloth, 
then  touch  the  wax  to  small  pieces  of  paper  and 
some  balls  made  of  pith,  and  see  what  happens. 

Get  a  glass  rod,  or  a'  straight  lamp  chimney, 
and  rub  it  with  a  silk  handkerchief.  Then  touch 
the  glass  to  different  small,  light  objects,  and 
observe  what  happens. 

Touch  the  wax  and  the  glass,  after  rubbing,  to 
your  knuckles.     What  do  you  observe  ? 

Write  an  account  of  your  experiments  and  the 
results.  What  is  it  that  you  have  produced  by 
rubbing  the  wax  and  the  glass  ? 


BOOK   ONE 


283 


BOTH   PUZZLED 


284  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Did  you  ever  notice  the  sparks  when  you  stroked 
the  cat  on  a  cold  day  ?  The  sparks  are  caused  by 
this  same  force,  called  electricity. 

On  a  clear  cold  morning  shuffle  your  feet  over 
the  carpet,  then  quickly  touch  your  knuckles  to 
the  key  in  the  door,  or  some  other  metal.  What 
do  you  see  and  feel?  The  shock  and  spark  are 
caused  by  electricity.  Tell  the  class  about  what 
you  did,  and  the  result. 

Write  a  full  account  of  all  you  have  done,  in  a 
letter  to  a  friend. 


Franklin 
Read  : 

Dr.  Benjamin  Franklin  was  one  of  the  wise  patriots 
who,  in  the  days  of  the  Revolution,  helped  to  make  this 
country  of  ours  a  great  nation.  But  he  did  more  than 
that.  He  was  a  student  of  nature,  and  he  found  out 
many  facts  which  are  yet  of  very  great  value  to  us  all. 
In  his  day,  people  knew  very  little  about  electric- 
ity, that  wonderful  force  which  now  drives  our  cars, 
lights  our  streets  and  houses,  and  turns  the  wheels  of 
many  great  factories.  They  saw  the  lightning  in  the 
heavens  and  were  afraid  of  it.  They  thought  it  was  a 
sign  of  the  wrath  of  God  toward  wicked  men. 

For  a  long  time  men  had  noticed  that  if  a  glass  rod 
were  rubbed  with  silk,  it  would  give  off  sparks,  and 
tliey  called  this  electricity,  but  they  little  thought  that 
the  lightning  was  merely  a  big  electric  spark. 


BOOK   ONE  285 

Dr.  Franklin  had  studied  these  sparks,  and  he  had 
watched  the  lightning,  until  he  had  come  to  believe  that 
they  were  caused  by  the  same  force.  In  order  to  find 
out  whether  this  was  true  or  not,  he  made  a  large  kite 
of  silk  and  put  an  iron  point  on  the  top  of  it.  Then 
he  took  a  long  hemp  cord  and  fastened  one  end  of  it  to 
the  kite ;  on  the  other  end  he  tied  a  piece  of  silk  cord, 
and  to  this  he  hung  a  key. 

One  day  when  there  was  a  thunder  shower,  he 
went  out  into  the  country  and  sent  up  his  kite,  holding 
the  silk  cord  in  his  hand.  Pretty  soon  there  came  a 
flash  of  lightning.  Dr.  Franklin  was  watching  his 
cord,  and  at  once  he  saw  it  shake  as  if  it  had  been 
struck.  Then  he  put  his  fingers  to  the  key  and  saw  a 
spark  and  felt  a  shock  such  as  he  had  caused  by  the 
use  of  his  glass  rod  and  silk.  He  knew  then  that  what 
he  had  believed  was  true,  —  lightning  was  electricity, 
and  the  air  was  full  of  it.  It  could  be  controlled  and 
made  of  use  to  men.  This  was  a  great  discovery. 
Many  men  were  studying  the  problem,  but  to  Dr. 
Franklin  belongs  the  credit  of  first  solving  it. 

Tell  this  story  in  class. 

Name  all  the  uses  of  electricity  that  you  can. 

Learn  all  you  can  about  some  one  instrument 
or  machine  that  makes  use  of  electricity,  and  write 
a  description  of  it  as  complete  as  you  can. 

Find  other  stories  of  Dr.  Franklin,  and  tell  them 
in  class.     Write  one  of  them. 


286  ENGLISH   LESSONS 


May —  Can 
Good  Usage: 

In  the  first  sentence  of  this  lesson,  we  find  the 
words,  "  If  you  can."     What  does  can  mean  ? 

What  does  can  mean  in  the  sentence,  "  Name  all 
the  uses  of  electricity  that  you  can  "  ? 

What  do  can  and  could  mean  in  these  sentences  ? 

I  can  ride  a  bicycle. 

I  could  ride  a  bicycle  a  year  ago. 

Use  may,  and  not  can,  when  you  ask  or  give 
permission. 

If  you  say,  "Mother,  can  I  go  to  the  picnic?" 
your  question  really  means,  "  Am  I  able  to  go  to 
the  picnic?"  But  this  is  not  what  you  intend  to 
say. 

If  you  say,  "  Mother  said  I  could  go,"  your  words 
really  mean,  "  Mother  said  I  was  able  to  go."  You 
should  say,  "  Mother  said  I  might  go." 

Conversation: 

Ask  of  one  another  permission  to  do  things. 
Let  the  one  who  is  asked  grant  the  permission. 

Write  in  your  notehooks  : 

We  use  may  to  ask  or  to  give  permission.  We  use  can 
to  express  power,  ability. 


BOOK  ONE  287 

CXXIII 
DEBATE 

Have  a  debate  on  one  or  more  of  the  following 
topics : 

Which  it  is  better  to  own,  an  automobile  or  a 
horse. 

Which  is  better  to  have,  a  bicycle  or  the  money 
for  a  bicycle. 

Which  is  more  enjoyable,  to  read  a  book  or  play 
a  game. 

Of  the  books  that  you  have  read,  which  is  best, 
and  why. 

Which  yoLi  consider  the  more  useful  domestic 
animal,  the  horse  or  the  cow. 


CXXIV 

MOVING  DAY 
Conversation  :' 

Have  you  ever  had  a  Moving  Day  ? 
Did  you  enjoy  it  ?     Why  ? 
Have  you  seen  your  neighbors  move  ? 
How  did  they  move  things  ? 
What  kind  of  wagon  or  van  was  used  ? 
Do  they  use  the  same  kind  of  wagon  on  rainy 
days  as  on  sunny  days  ? 

20 — one 


288  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Written  Exercise  : 

Write  a  letter,  real  or  imaginary,  telling  about 
your  old  home  and  your  new  one  and  describing 
your  moving  from  the  old  to  the  new. 

Expressive  Activities: 

Paint  a  picture  of  a  moving. 
Construct  a  model  of  a  moving  van  and  tell  how 
you  made  it. 

cxxv 

THE   LARCH   AND   THE  OAK 

Divided  Quotations  —  Word  Study 
Read : 

"  What  is  the  use  of  thee,  thou  gnarled  sapUng  ?  " 
said  a  young  larch  to  a  young  oak.  "  I  grow  three  feet 
in  a  year,  thou  scarcely  so  many  inches  ;  I  am  straight 
and  taper  as  a  weed,  thou  straggling  and  twisted  as  a 
loosened  withe."  "And  thy  duration,"  answered  the 
oak,  "  is  some  third  part  of  a  man's  life  and  I  am  ap- 
pointed to  flourish  for  a  thousand  years.  Thou  art  felled 
and  sawed  into  paling,  where  thou  rottest  and  art  burned 
after  a  single  summer  ;  of  me  are  fashioned  battleships 
and  I  carry  marines  and  heroes  into  unknown  seas." 

Thomas  Carlyle. 
Conversation  : 

What  does  this  fable  mean  ? 
Reproduce  the  conversation  orally,  as  a  dialogue, 
one  being  the  oak,  and  another  the  larch. 
Who  speaks  first  in  the  fable  ? 


BOOK   ONE  289 

What  sentence  tells  you  that  ? 

This  sentence  divides  what  the  larch  said  into 
two  parts,  and  is  called  a  divided  quotation.  Each 
part  of  a  divided  quotation  is  inclosed  in  quotation 
marks. 

Read  the  two  parts  as  one  quotation. 

Write  what  the  oak  said  as  one  quotation. 

Look  up  in  the  dictionary  and  discuss  in  class 
the  meanings  of  these  words :  gnarled,  sapling, 
taper,  straggling,  loithe,  duration,  flourish,  felled, 
paling,  fashioned,  marines,  heroes. 

Try  to  use  other  words  instead  of  them.  Can 
you  find  any  others  as  good  as  those  in  the  book  ? 

Read  each  sentence  in  the  fable. 

Can  you  find  any  sentence  without  a  verb  in  it  ? 

Study  the  sentences  on  some  page  of  your  reader. 
Do  you  find  any  without  a  verb  ? 

Write  in  your  notebook : 

Every  sentence  contains  at  least  one  verb. 

CXXVI 

GLUCK'S  SEARCH  FOR  THE  GOLDEN  RIVER 

Use  of  the  Dictionary 

1 
Read : 

"  Listen ! "  said  the  little  man,  without  deigning  to 
reply  to  this  polite  inquiry.     "  I  am  the  king  of  what 


290  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

you  mortals  call  the  Golden  River.  The  shape  yon  saw 
me  in  was  owing  to  the  malice  of  a  stronger  king,  from 
whose  enchantments  you  have  this  instant  freed  me. 
What  I  have  seen  of  you,  and  your  conduct  to  your 
wicked  brothers,  renders  me  willing  to  serve  you; 
therefore,  attend  to  what  I  tell  you  !  Whoever  shall 
climb  to  the  top  of  the  mountain  from  which  you  see 
the  Golden  River  issue,  and  shall  cast  into  the  stream 
at  its  source  three  drops  of  holy  water,  for  him,  and  for 
him  only,  the  river  shall  turn  to  gold.  But  no  one, 
failing  in  his  first,  can  succeed  in  a  second  attempt ;  and 
if  any  one  shall  cast  unholy  water  into  the  river,  it  will 
overwhelm  him,  and  he  will  become  a  black  stone." 

After  a  month  or  two  Gluck  grew  tired,  and  made 
up  his  mind  to  go  and  try  his  fortune  with  the  Golden 
River.  "  The  little  king  looked  very  kind,"  thought 
he.  "  I  don't  think  he  will  turn  me  into  a  black  stone." 
So  he  went  to  the  priest,  and  the  priest  gave  him  some 
holy  water  as  soon  as  he  asked  for  it.  Then  Gluck  put 
some  bread  into  his  basket,  and  the  bottle  of  water,  and 
set  off  very  early  for  the  mountains. 

When  he  had  climbed  many  hours,  his  thirst 
became  intolerable,  and  when  he  looked  at  his  bottle, 
he  saw  that  there  were  only  five  or  six  drops  left  in 
it,  and  he  could  not  venture  to  drink.  And  as  he 
was  hanging  the  flask  to  his  belt  again  he  satv  a  little 
dog  lying  on  the  rocks,  gasping  for  breath,  —  just  as 
Hans  had  seen  it  on  the  day  of  his  ascent.  And  Gluck 
stopped  and  looked  at  it,  and  then  at  the  Golden  River, 
not  five  hundred  yards  above  him  ;  and  he  thought  of 
the  dwarfs  words,  *'  that  no  one  could  succeed  except 


BOOK   ONE  291 

in  his  first  attempt,"  and  he  tried  to  pass  the  dog,  but 
it  whined  piteously,  and  Gluck  stopped  again.  "Poor 
beastie,"  said  Gluck, "  it'll  be  dead  when  I  come  down 
again,  if  I  don't  help  it  now."  Then  he  looked  closer 
and  closer  at  it,  and  its  eye  turned  on  him  so  mourn- 
fully that  he  could  not  stand  it.  "Confound  the  king, 
and  his  gold  too  !"  said  Gluck;  and  he  opened  the 
flask  and  poured  all  the  water  into  the  dog's  mouth. 

The  dog  sprang  up  and  stood  on  its  hind  legs.  Its 
tail  disappeared;  its  ears  became  long,  longer,  silky, 
golden;  its  nose  became  very  red;  its  eyes  became  very 
twinkling;  in  three  seconds  the  dog  was  gone,  and 
before  Gluck  stood  his  old  acquaintance,  the  King  of 
the  Golden  River. 

"Thank  you,"  said  the  monarch;  "but  don't  be 
frightened,  it's  all  right." 

******* 

So  saying,  the  dwarf  stooped  and  plucked  a  lily  that 
grew  at  his  feet.  On  its  white  leaves  there  hung  three 
drops  of  clear  dew.  And  the  dwarf  shook  them  into 
the  flask  which  Gluck  held  in  his  hand.  "  Cast  these 
into  the  river,"  he  said,  "and  descend  on  the  other  side 
of  the  mountain  into  the  Treasure  Valle3^  And  so 
good  speed!"  John  Ruskin. 

Read  the  story  to  yourselves. 

Then  tell  it  in  class,  each,  telhng  a  part. 

2 
Good  Usage : 

Search  the  story  for  the  words  in  italics.  Most  of 
them  you  have  studied  before.     They  are  all  verbs. 


292  ENGLISH    LESSONS 

Tell  in  each  .case  which  form  of  the  verb  is  used 
—  the  present,  the  past,  or  the  form  that  we  use 
wdth  have. 

Write  under  proper  headings  the  three  forms  of 

each  of  these  verbs,  and  use  them  in  sentences  of 

your  own. 

3 

Use  of  the  Dictionary 

Look  up  in  the  dictionary  the  meanings  of  these 
words  in  the  first  paragraph  of  the  story: — deign- 
ing, polite,  malice,  enchantments,  instant,  issue,  over- 
lohelm. 

See  how  many  facts  you  can  find  about  them. 
For  example,  deigning.  You  will  first  find  deign. 
Then  you  will  see  deigning.  You  will  find  several 
meanings  given.  Try  them  in  the  sentence  and 
see  w^hich  makes  tlie  best  sense. 

Select  hard  words  in  the  other  paragraphs  of  this 
story  and  see  who  will  find  out  the  most  facts  about 
them. 

CXXVII 

CROQUET 
Draw  a  diagram  of  a  croquet  ground. 
Conversation  : 

Discuss  the  game,  referring  to  the  drawing ;  tell 
about  the  wickets,  the  balls,  the  mallets,  croqueting, 
who  wins. 


BOOK   ONE  293 

Written  Exercise  : 

Write  on  the  blackboard  rules  for  the  game. 
Write  a  letter,  describing  the  last  game  of  croquet 
that  you  played  or  saw. 

2  0  the  Teacher :  Any  other  game  may  be  substituted. 

CXXVIII 

GOD'S   MIRACLE   OF   MAY 

Pictures  in  Words 

Read  and  study : 

There  came  a  message  to  the  vine, 

A  whisper  to  the  tree  ; 
The  bluebird  saw  the  secret  sign 

And  merril}^  sang  he  I 
And  like  a  silver  string  the  brook 

Trembled  with  music  sweet  — 
Enchanting  notes  in  every  nook 

For  echo  to  repeat. 

A  magic  touch  transformed  the  fields, 

Greener  each  hour  they  grew, 
Until  they  shone  like  burnished  shields 

All  jeweled  o'er  with  dew. 
Scattered  upon  the  forest  floor, 

A  million  bits  of  bloom 
Breathed  fragrance  forth  thro'  morning's  door 

Into  the  day's  bright  room. 

Then  inch  by  inch  the  vine  confessed 
The  secret  it  had  heard, 


294  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

And  in  the  leaves  the  azure  breast 

Sang  the  delightful  word  : 
Glad  flowers  upsprang  amid  the  grass 

And  flung  tlieir  banners  gay, 
And  suddenly  it  came  to  pass  — 

God's  Miracle  of  May! 

Frank  Dempster  Sherman. 

By  permission  of  Houghton,  Mifflin  and  Company. 

The  poem  presents  a  series  of  pictures.  Try  to 
see  them  all. 

Here  are  a  few  suggestive  questions.  Answer 
them  and  ask  others. 

Stanza  I : 

What  was  the  message  f     Who  brought  it  ? 

Why  was  it  whispered  to  the  tree  ?  Why  a 
secret  sign  ? 

Why  did  the  brook  tremble  ? 

Did  you  ever  see  a  brook  like  a  silver  string  ? 
Where  ?     What  made  it  so  ? 

Stanza  II : 

What  was  the  magic  touch  ? 

What  does  jeweled  oer  ivith  dew  mean  ? 

What  is  the  morning's  door  f 

Stanza  III: 

Does  this  stanza  answer  the  questions  asked 
above?     What  was  the  secret? 


BOOK   ONE  295 

How  did  the  vine  confess  it? 
How  did  the  flowers  show  their  joy  ? 
What  is  a  miracle  f 
Is  May  a  miracle? 

CXXIX 

SCHOOL  GARDENS 

Around  nearly  every  schoolhouse  there  is  some 
land  which  may  be  utilized  for  a  school  garden. 
If  there  is  not  room  enough  on  the  school  ground, 
doubtless  you  can  obtain  permission  to  use  a  va- 
cant lot  near  the  school.  You  will  find  on  page  299 
a  picture  of  some  school  children  who  are  working 
in  their  gardens;  on  page  297  are  two  plans  of 
children's  gardens. 


The  School  Garden 

Make  a  garden  together  m  your  schoolyard.  If 
you  cannot  do  this,  some  of  vou  perhaps  can  make 
gardens  at  home.  You  can  at  least  have  a  box  in 
a  window.  Watch  your  parden  carefully.  Take 
notes  and  talk  about  them  m  the  class.  The  fol- 
lowing outline  will  suggest  some  of  the  things  to 
watch  for  and  to  talk  and  write  about. 
1.     Preparation  of  the  bed-. 

Tell  how  the  soil  was  prepared  and  enriched. 


296 


ENGLISH   LESSONS 


MASTURTWFrS" 


c:>iMinMS 


c;nk^n^ 


CZ  JX  pHflTS 


K^QihHTTT 


"^■P-  r» 


LFTT\ir,r 


g.APgr>T^- 


PAni.qurgs- 


WgPXH 


t  ^  Tinr  r 


yA^o 


mfwnyig 


gfgB 


jaEisL 


^fxin?!^ 


JSJUH. 


^iv^n'ifR 


PLANS  OF  SCHOOL  GARDENS 


2.  The  Plan. 

Write  an  accurate  description  of  the  plan  for 
your  garden,  and  make  a  diagram  of  it. 

3.  Tell  about  the  making  of  the  beds  and  paths. 

4.  Tell  what  you  planted  and  why. 

5.  The  Planting. 

Write  how  you  planted  the  different  seeds,  in 
what  kind  of  soil,  and  how  deep. 


BOOK   ONE 


297 


mr-^'^ 


•^:^-. 


298  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

6.  The  Sprouting. 

Watch  for  the  sprouting  and  give  a  full  account 

of  the  time  and  conditions. 
Make  a  garden  calendar,  telling  the  dates  of 

planting,    sprouting,    and    blooming   of    the 

different  plants. 

7.  Transplanting  or  thinning. 

Tell  what  you  know  about  the  time  for  trans- 
planting and  thinning  the  different  kinds  of 
plants  in  your  garden.  Why  should  different 
times  be  selected  for  different  plants  ? 

8.  The  Weeding. 

Tell  what  kind  of  weeds  you  found,  and  which 

are  the  most  troublesome. 
Write  about  how  yoii  weeded  the  garden,  what 

tools  you  used  if  any,  and  how  often  you  found 

it  necessary  to  weed, 

^  The  Insects 

Are  there  insects  on  the  plants  in  your  garden  ? 

Do  they  do  any  harm?  Find  out  all  you  can 
about  them. 

3 

The  Flower  and  Vegetable  Shoivfrom  the  School  Garden 

Have  in  autumn  a  display  of  all  the  products  of 
your  garden.  Arrange  the  articles  as  to  color, 
size,  and  kind. 

Invite  your  parents  and  friends  to  see  what  you 


BOOK   ONE  299 

have  done.  After  your  autumn  display,  send  your 
flowers  to  some  sick  schoolmate  or  to  the  Children's 
Hospital. 

After  it  is  all  over  in  the  fall,  write  an  account 
of  your  garden  and  of  your  experiences. 

Write  a  list  of  the  names  of  your  flowers. 

Write  a  list  of  the  names  of  your  vegetables. 

Find  and  copy  carefully  in  your  garden  calendar 
quotations  from  the  poets  about  some  of  the  flowers 
that  you  have  studied. 

cxxx 

LETTERS   OF   INVITATION   AND   REPLIES 

Read : 

The  Willows,  ' 
526  Culver  Road, 

Rochester,  New  York. 
Dear  Ruth : 

Mamma  has  told  me  that  I  may  give  a  lawn  party  on 
Friday,  the  twenty-sixth.  You  will  surely  come,  won't 
you? 

Yours  lovingly, 

Mary  Andrews. 
August  15,  1905. 

236  University  Ave., 
Rochester,  New  York. 
Dear  Mary : 

It  is  lovely  of  you  to  ask  me  to  your  lawn  party  and 
I  shall  be  very  glad  to  come. 

Your  friend, 

Ruth  Wilson. 
August  17,  1905. 


300  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

1050  Summit  Ave., 
St.  Paul,  Minn. 

Dear  Jack : 

I  am  to  have  a  birthday  party  on  Saturday,  the 
twenty -fourth.  We  shall  have  skating  first  and  games 
indoors  later.     Be  sure  to  come  and  bring  your  skates. 

Your  friend. 


Henry  Allen. 


January  16,  1906. 


872  Dayton  Ave., 
St.  Paul,  Minn. 
Dear  Henry  : 

Your  kind  invitation  to  your  birthday 
party  is  received.  I  am  very  sorry,  but  Billy  has  the 
measles  and  I  fear  I  should  not  be  welcome.  I  hope 
you  will  all  have  a  good  time. 

Yours  mournfully, 

Jack  Armstrong. 
January  17,  1906. 


The  Willows, 
526  Culver  Road, 

Rochester,  New  York. 

Miss  Mary  Andrews  asks  the  pleasure  of  Miss  Wil- 
son's company  at  a  lawn  party  on  Friday,  August  26. 
August  15,  1905. 


BOOK   ONE  301 

236  University  Ave., 
Rochester,  New  York. 
Miss  Ruth  Wilson  begs  to  thank  Miss  Andrews  for 
her  kind  invitation  on  August  26,  which  she  accepts 
with  pleasure. 

August  17,  1905. 

1050  Summit  Ave., 

St.  Paul,  Minn. 

Henry  Allen  invites  Jack  Armstrong  to  be  present 
at  his  birthday  party  on  Saturday,  the  twenty-fourth. 
Skating  in  the  afternoon. 

January  16,  1906. 

872  Dayton  Ave., 

St.  Paul,  Minn. 

Jack  Armstrong  thanks  Henry  Allen  for  his  kind 
invitation  for  the  twenty-fourth,  and  regrets  that  be- 
cause of  illness  in  the  family  he  is  unable  to  accept. 

January  17,  1906. 

Invitations  by  letter  are  sometimes  formal  and 
sometimes  informal.  Here  are  letters  and  replies 
of  both  kinds.     Copy  them  all  carefully. 

Write  invitations  and  replies,  two  of  each  kind, 
selecting  your  own  occasions. 

(Notice  that  in  the  formal  invitations  the  pro- 
nouns /  and  you  are  not  used.) 


302  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

CXXXI 

THE  CROW 
Adverbs 


Read : 

The  cawinff  of  the  crow  resounds  amonof  the  woods. 
A  sentinel  is  aware  of  your  approach  a  great  way  off, 
and  gives  the  alarm  to  his  comrades  loudly  and  eagerly, 
—  Caw,  caw,  caw  !  Immediately  the  whole  conclave 
replies,  and  you  behold  them  rising  above  the  trees, 
flapping  darkly,  and  winging  their  way  to  deeper  soli- 
tudes. Sometimes,  however,  they  remain  until  you 
come  near  enough  to  discern  their  sable  gravity  of 
aspect,  each  occupying  a  separate  bough,  or  perhaps  the 
blasted  tip-top  of  a  pine.  As  you  approach,  one  after 
another,  with  loud  cawing,  flaps  his  wings  and  throws 
himself  upon  the  air. 

Hawthorne. 

Give  orally  the  description  of  the  crows. 

Look  up  the  meanings  of  all  words  that  you  do 
not  know. 

Pick  out  those  that  make  the  picture  clear. 
Write  in  three  lists  the  nouns,  adjectives,  verbs. 


Adverbs 

In  the  second  sentence  what  do  loudly  and  eagerly 
tell  you  ? 


BOOK   ONE  303 

Do  these  words  help  you  to  form  a  clear  picture  ? 
They  tell  how  the  crow  gave  the  alarm.     They 
therefore  add  to  the  meaning  of  the  verb  gives. 

Words  that  add  to  the  meaning  of  verbs  are  called 
adverbs. 

In  the  sentence,  "  The  lark  flew  swiftly  upward," 
what  adverbs  do  you  find  ?  What  does  each  tell 
about  the  lark's  flight?  With  what  word  in  the 
sentence  are  the  adverbs  used  ? 

A  word  that  is  used  with  some  other  word  to 
add  to  its  meaning  is  said  to  modify  that  word, 
because  modify  means  to  alter  in  some  degree. 

Adjectives  describe  persons  or  things,  and  there- 
fore they  modify  nouns,  which  are  the  names  of 
persons  or  things. 

Adverbs  most  commonly  modify  verbs. 

Words  that  modify  nouns  are  called  adjectives. 
Words  that  modify  verbs  are  called  adverbs. 


Good  Usage  in  Adverbs  : 

A  few  adjectives  are  often  used  incorrectly  for 
adverbs.  One  of  these  is  the  adjective  good.  It 
is  correct  to  speak  of  a  book  or  a  dog  or  a  horse  or 
a  man  as  good.  But  it  is  incorrect  to  say  tha»t  a 
person  "  writes  good  "  or  "  sings  good  "  or  "  recites 
good."     The  word  ivell  should  be  used. 


304  ENGLISH   LESSONS 


Many  adverbs  ; 

are 

made  from 

adjectives  by  add- 

ing  ly;  as,  — 

Adjectives 

Adverbs 

swift 

swiftly 

slow- 

slowly                     , 

sure 

surely 

fine 

finely 

easy  easily 

A  horse  is  sicift  or  sloio;  but  it  travels  siviftly  or 
sloioly. 

A  piece  of  work  may  be  fine ;  but  it  is  done 
finely.  Don't  say,  "  You  did  that  fine,"  but  "  You 
did  that  finely." 

A  task  may  be  easy  ;  but  a  person  does  it  easily. 
Don't  say,  ''  I  can  do  that  as  easy  as  you  can,"  but 
"  I  can  do  that  as  easily  as  you  can." 

Be  careful  not  to  use  adjectives  for  adverbs. 

CXXXII 

WOODMAN,   SPARE   THAT  TREE 

Quotations  within  Quotations  —  Adverbs  —  Prepositions 

1 
Read  and  study : 

Woodman,  spare  that  tree  I 
Touch  not  a  single  bough  ! 

In  youth  it  sheltered  me, 
And  I'll  protect  it  now. 

'Twas  my  forefather's  hand 


BOOK   ONE  305 

That  placed  it  near  his  cot  ; 
There,  woodman,  let  it  stand. 
Thy  ax  shall  harm  it  not  I 

That  old  familiar  tree, 

Whose  glory  and  renown 
Are  spread  o'er  land  and  sea. 

And  wouldst  thou  hew  it  down  ? 
Woodman,  forbear  thy  stroke  ! 

Cut  not  its  earth-bound  ties, 
Oh,  spare  that  aged  oak, 

Now  towering  to  the  skies  ! 

When  but  an  idle  boy 

I  sought  its  grateful  shade ; 
In  all  their  gushing  joy, 

Here,  too,  my  sisters  played. 
My  mother  kissed  me  here; 

My  father  pressed  my  hand  — 
Forgive  this  foolish  tear. 

But  let  that  old  oak  stand! 

My  heartstrings  round  thee  cling, 

Close  as  thy  bark,  old  friend! 
Here  shall  the  wild  bird  sing. 

And  still  thy  branches  bend. 
Old  tree,  the  storm  shall  brave! 

And,  woodman,  leave  the  spot ; 
While  I've  a  hand  to  save. 

Thy  ax  shall  harm  it  not. 

George  P    Morris. 


306  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

2 

The  Story  of  "Woodman,  Spare  That  Tree" 

Rpad : 

"  Woodman,  Spare  that  Tree"  is  a  fine  poem  ;  Morris 
never  wrote  a  better  one.  He  told  the  history  of  it  as 
follows :  "Riding  out  of  town  a  few  days  ago,  in  com- 
pany with  a  friend,  an  old  gentleman,  he  invited  me  to 
turn  down  a  little  romantic  woodland  pass,  not  far  from 
Bioomingdale.      'Your  object?'  I  inquired. 

"  'Merely  to  look  once  more  at  an  old  tree,  planted  by 
my  grandfather,  long  before  I  was  born,  and  where  my 
sister  played  with  me.  There  I  often  listened  to  the 
good  advice  of  my  parents.  Father,  mother,  sisters,  all 
are  gone ;  nothing  but  the  old  tree  remains.'  And  a 
paleness  overspread  his  fine  countenance,  while  tears 
came  to  his  eyes.  After  a  moment's  pause,  he  added  : 
'  Don't  think  me  foolish.  I  don't  know  how  it  is  ;  I 
never  ride  out  but  I  turn  down  this  lane  to  look  at  that 
old  tree.  I  have  a  thousand  recollections  about  it,  and  I 
always  greet  it  as  a  familiar  and  well-remembered  friend.' 

"  These  words  were  scarcely  uttered  when  the  old 
gentleman  cried  out,  'There  it  is!'  Near  the  old 
tree  stood  a  man  with  his  coat  off,  sharpening  an  ax. 
'  You  are  not  going  to  cut  that  tree  down,  surely  ? ' 
'Yes,  but  I  am,  though,'  said  the  woodman.  'What 
for  ? '  inquired  the  old  gentleman,  choking  with  emotion. 
'What  for?  I  like  that.  Well,  I  will  tell  you  ;  I 
want  that  tree  for  firewood.' 

"  '  What  is  the  tree  worth  to  you  for  firewood  ? ' 

"'Wliy,  when  down,  about  ten  dollars.' 


BOOK   ONE  307 

" '  Suppose  I  should  give  you  that  sum,'  said  the  old 
gentleman,  'would  you  let  it  stand?' 
"'Yes.' 

"  '  You  are  sure  of  that  ? ' 
"'Positive.' 
"  'Then  give  me  a  bond  to  that  effect.'  " 

Rev.  W.  M.  Thayer. 

Tell  the  story. 

Observe  the  quotation  marks  in  this  story.  They 
are  of  two  kinds, —  {'  ')  and  ("  ").  These  marks 
(")  are  repeated  at  the  beginning  of  each  paragraph. 

In  a  long  quotation  the  first  quotation  marks  (•') 
are  repeated  at  the  beginning  of  each  paragraph  or  stanza. 

The  whole  story,  beginning  with  "  Riding  out 
of  town"  in  the  first  paragraph,  is  a  quotation 
from  Mr.  Morris,  the  author  of  the  poem. 

The  other  quotations  are  remarks  repeated  in 
his  story.  In  the  last  line  of  the  first  paragraph, 
'  Your  object,'  is  such  a  remark  repeated.  It  is  a 
quotation  ivithin  a  quotation. 

A  quotation  within  a  quotation  is  indicated  by  single 
marks,  thus  (*  ')• 

Point  out  other  quotations  within  quotations  in 
the  story. 

3 

Adverbs 

What  does  never  in  the  second  line  of  the  story 
tell  ? 

It  modifies  the  word  ivrote. 


308  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

In  the  sentence,  There  I  often  listened  to  the  good 
advice  of  my  parents,  what  does  there  tell  ? 
It  modifies  the  word  that  expresses  action. 
What  is  that  word  ? 

What  are  words  that  modify  verbs  called  ? 
Adverhs,  you  see,  answer  several  questions  about 
the  actions  of  verbs,  such  as,  how  f  when  f  lohere  f 
Find  as  many  adverbs  as  you  can  in  this  story . 

CXXXIII 
PREPOSITIONS 


1 .  The  lamp  stands  on  the  table. 

2.  The  dog  lies  under  the  table. 

3.  The  man  sits  by  the  table. 

4.  Our  houses  are  lighted  by  electricity. 

6.  The  house  on  the  hill  can  be  seen  at  a  distance. 

6.  The  house  under  the  liill  is  sheltered. 

7.  Seeing  his  mother,  the  child  ran  toward  her. 

In  the  first  three  sentences  what  words  help  you 
to  see  the  position  of  the  lamp,  the  dog,  and  the 
man  in  relation  to  the  table? 

In  sentence  4,  what  word  shows  the  relation 
that  electricity  has  to  the  lighting  of  our  houses  ? 

In  sentences  5  and  6,  what  words  show  the 
location  of  the  house  in  relation  to  the  hill  ? 

In  sentence  7,  what  word  shows  the  direction  of 
the  child's  running  in  relation  to  his  mother  ? 


BOOK   ONE  309 

Notice  that  these  words  are  all  used  before  nouns 
or  pronouns.  They  join  the  noun  or  pronoun  to 
some  other  word  in  the  sentence,  and  show  how  it 
is  related  to  that  word.  0;i,  for  example,  joins 
the  noun  table  to  the  verb  stands,  and  shows  a 
relation  of  place. 

Such  words  are  called  prepositions. 

A  word  that  shows  the  relation  of  a  noun  or  a  pronoun 
to  some  other  word  in  the  sentence  is  called  a  preposition. 


We  should  be  careful  to  use  prepositions  cor- 
rectly.    Here  are  a  few  that  are  often  misused. 

In  —  Into 

"  He  walked  in  the  garden  "  means  that 'he  was 
already  in  the  garden,  and  walked  about. 

"He  walked  into  the  garden"  means  that  he 
came  in  from  the  outside. 

Is  it  right  to  say,  "  When  I  came  in  the  room  I 
saw  a  stranger  sitting  there  ?  " 

Between  —  Among 

Between  is  used  in  speaking  of  two. 
Among  is  used  in  speaking  of  more  than  two. 
Tell  the  difference   in   meaning  between   these 
sentences  : 

The  apples  were  divided  among  the  boys. 
The  apples  were  divided  between  the  boys. 


310  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

To  — At 

To  is  used  after  a  word  that  expresses  motion. 

We  say,  "  I  went  to  school,"  but,  "  I  staid  at 
school,"  or,  "  I  was  at  school."  Don't  say,  "  I 
haven't  been  to  school  to-day."     Use  at. 

Oral  Exercise  : 

Tell  of  something  that  you  have  done,  using  in 
and  into. 

Tell  of  something,  using  between  and  among. 

Tell  of  going  somewhere  and  of  being  or  remain- 
ing somewhere,  and  use  to  and  at  correctly. 

You  will  learn  best  how  to  use  prepositions  by 
noticing  how  they  are  used  by  good  writers  and  by 
persons  who  speak  good  English. 


CXXXIV 

REVIEW 
Conjunctions 


Read 


"  How  can  I  ever  thank  you  for  all  the  deep  obliga- 
tions you  impose  upon  me  every  day  ?  "  said  Nicholas. 
"  By  keeping  silence  upon  the  subject,  my  dear  sir," 


BOOK   ONE  311 

returned  brother  Charles.  "  You  shall  be  righted.  At 
least  you  shall  not  be  wronged.  Nobody  belonging  to 
you  shall  be  wronged.  They  shall  not  hurt  a  hair  of 
your  head,  or  the  boy's  head,  or  your  mother's  head, 
or  your  sister's  head.  I  have  said  it,  brotlier  Ned  has 
said  it,  Tim  Linkinwater  has  said  it,  we  have  all  said 
it,  and  will  all  do  it.  I  have  seen  the  father  —  if  he  is 
the  father  —  and  I  suppose  he  must  be.  He  is  a  bar- 
barian and  a  hypocrite,  Mr.  Nickleby.  I  told  him, 
'You  are  a  barbarian,  sir.'  I  did.  I  said,  'You're  a 
barbarian,  sir.'  And  I  am  glad  of  it.  I  am  ver}^  glad 
I  told  him  he  was  a  barbarian  —  very  glad  indeed! '' 
Charles  Dickens,  Nicholas  Nickleby. 

How  many  quotations  do  you  find  in  these  para- 
graphs ?  How  many  quotations  within  quota- 
tions ?     Write  them  out. 

Why  is  a  comma  used  after  subject  in  the 
second  paragraph  ?  Why  after  head  three  times 
in  the  same  paragraph  ? 


In  the  sentence  beginning,  TJiey  shall  not  hurt  a 
hair  of  your  head,  observe  the  word  or. 

In  the  next  sentence  you  find  the  word  and. 
Do  you  see  its  use  ? 

There  are  some  words  that  are  used  merely  to 
tie  words  or  sentences  together.  Some  of  them 
are  and,  or,  hut,  if. 


312  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

Words  that  connect  words  or  sentences  are  called  con- 
junctions. 

The  word  conjunction  jneaxisjoiiwig  together. 

3 

Exercise: 

Supply  conjunctions  where  you  see  dashes : 

Washington  was  just wise patriotic. 

You  must  he  a  friend a  foe  to  the  cause. 

The  day  was  sunny cold. 

The  way  was  long the  wind  was  cold. 

The    roses   in   the    deserted   garden   bloomed   

withered shed  their  petals  on  the  ground. 

You  may  go stay,  as  you  like. 

The  old  man's  hair   was  white his  form   was 

erect his  step   was   vigorous.      We  shall  have  a 

picnic the  weather  is  pleasant. 

Which  of  the  conjunctions  connect  adjectives? 
nouns  ?  verbs  ?  statements  ? 

How  many  different  conjunctions  have  you  used  ? 

Can  you  give  reasons  for  your  choice  of  conjunc- 
tions ?     Perhaps  the  dictionary  will  help  you. 

cxxxv 

THE   STORY  OF  A  SPOOL  OF  THREAD 

Learn  all  you  can  about  the  thread's  history, 
following  the  suggestions  given  below  and  making 
notes  on  each  point  as  you  proceed. 


BOOK   ONE  313 

Conversation : 

Talk  over  each  step  in  class,  and  tell  the  story 
of  each. 

1 

Raising  the  Cotton 

Discuss  where  it  is  raised,  in  what  climate,  on 
what  kind  of  soil;  who  the  workmen  are  that 
are  chiefly  engaged  in  raising  cotton  ;  the  planting, 
the  cultivating,  the  picking;  cleaning  the  liber; 
packing;  shipping. 

2 

The  Thread 

Discuss  cotton  mills,  where  located,  whether 
large  or  small ;  preparing  the  cotton  for  spinning  ; 
the  spinning  into  thread  ;  the  spools,  made  from 
what,  where  made ;  winding  the  thread ;  packing 
in  cases. 

3 

Transportation  and  Selling 

Discuss  the  drays  and  draymen,  the  freight  train 
or  boat,  the  freight  depot,  carrying  to  the  store, 
putting  on  the  shelves,  selling,  carrying  home; 
the  present  owner ;  the  use  of  cotton. 


314  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

4 

Written  Exercise: 

Pretend  you  are  a  spool  of  thread  and  write 
your  history. 

Be  careful  to  obey  all  the  rules  for  capitals  and 
punctuation  that  you  have  learned. 

Gather  samples  of  cotton  at  each  stage  from  the 
ball  to  the  spool  of  thread. 

Gather  pictures  of  the  various  processes. 

Use  these  samples  and  pictures  to  illustrate  your 
story. 

CXXXVI 

THE   HONEY   BEE 


Study 


Busy  body,  busy  body, 
Always  on  the  wing ; 

Wait  a  bit 

Where  you  have  lit. 
And  tell  me  what  you  sing. 

Up  in  the  air  again, 

Flap,  flap,  flap ! 

And  now  she  stops, 
And  now  she  drops, 

Into  the  rose's  lap. 

Come  just  a  minute,  come, 
From  your  rose  so  red ; 


BOOK   ONE  315 


Hum,  hum, 
Hum,  hum, 
That  was  all  slie  said. 

Busy  body,  busy  body, 
Always  light  and  gay  ; 
It  seems  to  me, 
For  all  I  see, 
Your  work  is  only  play. 

By  permission  of  Ilougliton,  Mifflin  and  Company. 


Alice   Gary. 


What  is  a  husij  body  ? 

Why  does  Miss  Cary  call  the  bee  a  husy  body  f 

Is  it  a  good  nairie  for  a  bee  ? 

What  is  the  roses  lap  f 

Has  the  rose  a  lap  ? 

Is  the  bee's  work  only  play  ? 

What  do  you  suppose  the  bee  thinks  of  us  ? 


Learn  all  you  can  about  the  honeybee. 
If  possible,  watch  bees  at  work  and  at  home. 
Tell  in  class  all  you  have  observed  or  found  out 
about  the  bee. 

Where  do  bees  live  ? 

Where  do  the  bees  carry  their  honey  ? 

How  many  wings  has  a  bee  ? 

What  colors  do  they  wear  ? 

Where  do  the  wings  and  legs  grow  ? 


316  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

CXXXVII 

THE   FIREMAN 
1 

Did  3^ou  ever  stop  to  think  how  many  people 
stand  ready  to  serve  you,  to  supply  your  wants, 
to  protect  you  from  danger,  to  take  care  of  your 
property,  to  guard  your  lives? 

There  are  the  postmen  of  whom  you  have  heard, 
the  army  of  soldiers,  the  navy  of  vessels  and  sailors. 
All  these  the  United  States  Government  provides 
for  your  protection. 

Your  town  or  your  city  also  does  much  for  you. 

Among  those  who  serve  you  are  the  firemen, 
who  protect  your  lives  and  property  from  injury 
by  fires. 

Visit  a  fire-engine  house  if  possible.  Learn  all 
you  can  about  the  firemen,  and  tell  it  in  class  : 

Who  appoints  them,  who  supports  them,  where 
the  city  gets  the  money,  what  kind  of  men  must 
be  chosen,  what  tests  are  applied,  what  training 
they  must  take,  what  their  work  is. 

Would  you  like  to  be  a  fireman  ?     Why  ? 

Find  out  and  name  all  the  different  kinds  of 
wagons  and  other  vehicles  and  apparatus  the  fire- 
men use. 


To  the  Teacher:  If  you  cannot  study  a  fire  department  with  your 
class,  take  any  other  branch  of  the  public  service. 


BOOK   ONE  317 

What  kind  of  horses  have  they  ?  How  are  they 
trained  ? 

Tell  a  story  of  a  fire-engine  horse. 

Written  Exercise : 

Write  a  description  of  a  fire  engine. 

Write  an  account  of  some  large  fire  that  you 
have  witnessed. 

Imagine  yourself  a  fireman  and  write  a  letter  to 
your  mother  telling  of  your  life  and  work. 

Expressive  Activities  : 

Make  models  of  fire  engines  or  other  apparatus. 
Draw  a  picture  of  firemen  going  to  a  fire. 
Collect  pictures  of  the  firemen  and  fire  apparatus. 


How  John  Burns,  Fireman,  Saved  a  Boy 

Read : 

Thirteen  years  have  passed  since,  but  it  is  all  to  me 
as  if  it  had  happened  yesterday,  the  clanging  of  the 
fire  bells,  the  hoarse  shouts  of  the  firemen,  the  wild 
rush  and  terror  of  the  streets  ;  then  the  great  hush 
that  fell  upon  the  crowd  ;  the  sea  of  upturned  faces 
with  the  fire-glow  upon  it  ;  and  up  there,  against  the 
background  of  black  smoke  that  poured  from  roof  and 
attic,  the  boy  clinging  to  the  narrow  ledge,  so  far  up 
that  it  seemed  humanly  impossible  that  help  could 
ever  come. 


318  ENGLISH   LESSONS 

But  even  then  it  was  coming.  Up  from  the  street, 
while  the  crew  of  the  truck  company  were  laboring 
with  tlie  heavy  extension  ladder  that  at  its  longest 
stretch  was  many  feet  too  short,  crept  four  men  upon 
long,  slender  poles  with  cross-bars,  iron-hooked  at 
the  end.  Standing  in  one  window,  they  reached  up 
and  thrust  the  hook  through  the  next  one  above,  then 
mounted  a  story  higher.  Straight  up  the  wall  they 
crept,  looking  like  human  flies  on  the  ceiling,  and 
clinging  as  close,  never  resting,  reaching  one  recess 
only  to  set  out  for  the  next  ;  nearer  and  nearer  in  the 
race  for  life,  until  but  a  single  span  separated  the  fore- 
most from  the  boy.  And  now  the  iron  hook  fell  at  his 
feet,  and  the  fireman  stood  upon  the  step  with  the 
rescued  lad  in  his  arms,  just  as  the  pent-up  flames 
burst  lurid  from  the  attic  window,  reaching  with 
impotent  fury  for  its  prey.  The  next  moment  they 
were  safe  upon  the  great  ladder  waiting  to  receive 
them  below. 

Then  such  a  shout  went  up  !  Men  fell  on  each 
other's  necks  and  cried  and  laughed  at  once.  Strangers 
slapped  one  another  on  the  back  with  glistening  faces, 
shook  hands,  and  behaved  generally  like  men  gone  sud- 
denly mad.  Women  wept  in  tlie  street.  The  driver 
of  a  car  stalled  in  the  crowd,  who  had  stood  through 
it  all  speechless,  clutching  the  reins,  whipped  his  horses 
into  a  galop  and  drove  away,  yelling  like  a  Comanche, 
to  relieve  his  feelings.  The  boy  and  his  rescuer  were 
carried  across  the  street  without  any  one  knowing  how. 
Policemen  forgot  their  dignity  and  shouted  with  tlie 
rest.  Fire,  peril,  terror,  and  loss  were  alike  forgotten  in 
the  one  touch  of  nature  that  makes  the  whole  world  kin. 


BOOK   ONE  319 

Fireman  John  Burns  was  made  captain  of  his  crew, 
and  the  Bennett  medal  was  pinned  on  his  coat  on  the 
next  parade  day. 

Jacob  A.  Riis,  From  "  Heroes  Who  Fight  Fire,"  The  Cen- 
tury, Vol.  LV,  p.  483,  February,  1898. 

Tell  the  story  in  class. 

Study  this  story  paragraph  by  paragraph  Try 
to  pick  out  the  words  that  make  it  vivid. 

Make  lists  of  them.  Mark  the  list  of  nouns  n^ 
of  adjectives  adj,  of  verbs  v,  of  pronouns  p. 

Which  list  is  longest  ? 

What  words  do  you  think '  make  pictures 
brightest,  nouns,  adjectives,  or  verbs  ? 


CXXXVIII 
REVIEW 

Sentences 

There  are  four  kinds  of  sentences : 

Those    that   tell    or  make   statements.      (Declarative 

sentences.) 
Those  thgjt   ask  questions.     (Interrogative  sentences.) 
Those    that    command,  request,  direct.        (Imperative 

sentences.) 
Those  that  exclaim.     (Exclamatory  sentences.) 
All   sentences   may  be    divided   into  two   parts,   the 

subject  and  the  predicate. 


320  ENGLISH    LESSONS 

Sentences  are  usually  arranged  in  paragraph s^  which 
are  very  short  chapters,  each  containing  one  or  more  sen- 
tences on  some  one  topic  or  division  of  the  main  subject. 

Nouns,   Adjectives,    Pronouns,    Verbs,   Adverbs, 
Prepositions,    Conjunctions 

Names  of  persons  or  things  are  called  nouns. 

Words  used  to  describe  persons  or  things  are  called 
adjectives. 

Words  that  are  used  in  the  place  of  nouns  are  called 
pronouns. 

Words  that  can  be  used  to  assert  or  state  are  called 
verbs. 

Words  that  modify  verbs  are  called  adverbs. 

Words  that  show  the  relations  of  nouns  or  pronouns  to 
other  words  are  called  prepositions. 

Words  that  join  words  or  sentences  are  called  conjunc- 
tions. 

Words  used  to  express  sudden  feeling  are  called  inter- 
jections. 

Capital  Letters 

Capital  letters  are  used  to  begin  : 

The  first  words  of  all  sentences. 

The  first  words  of  all  lines  of  poetry. 

Direct  quotations. 

All  names  of  God  and  the  Bible. 

0  and  I. 

All  names  of  persons  and  places. 

All  names  of  things  personified. 

All  names  of  months  and  days. 

Headings  and  titles. 


BOOK   ONE  321 

Punctuation  Marks 

The  period  is  used  after : 
Sentences  that  tell. 
Sentences  that  command. 
Abbreviations. 
Dates. 

The  question  mark  is  used  after  sentences  or  words 
that  ask  questions. 

The  exclamation  point  is  used  after  sentences  or  words 
that  exclaim. 

The  comma  is  used : 

After  the  names  of  persons  addressed,  except  at  the  end 
of  a  sentence. 

After  the  different  parts  of  a  letter *s  heading  and  clos- 
ing. 

To  separate  the  parts  of  a  sentence,  when  needed  to 
make  the  meaning  clear. 

To  separate  words  in  a  series. 

Quotation  Marks 

Quotation  marks  are  used  to  inclose  direct  quotations. 

Single  quotation  marks  are  used  to  inclose  quotations 
within  quotations. 

Indirect  quotations  do  not  give  the  exact  words  of  the 
person  quoted.    They  are  not  inclosed  in  quotation  marks. 

Word  Marks 

The  apostrophe  is  used  to  indicate  contractions,  and 
also  with  or  after  5,  to  denote  the  possessive  case. 

The  hyphen  is  used  to  join  two  words  that  are  used 
as  one,  also  at  the  end  of  a  line  to  show  that  a  word  is 
divided  between  syllables. 


322  ENGLISH    LESSONS 

Names  and  Initials 

The  surname  is  the  family  name. 

The  other  parts  of  a  person's  name  are  called  the  given 
name  or  Christian  name. 

An  initial  is  the  first  letter  of  a  name  used  alone.  It 
is  always  written  as  a  capital  and  is  followed  by  a  period. 

Parts  of  a  Letter 

The  heading  tells  where  and  when  the  letter  is  writ- 
ten, and  sometimes  gives  the  name  and  address  of  the 
person  to  whom  it  is  written. 

The  salutation  gives  the  name  or  title  of  the  person 
addressed,  usually  with  some  polite  or  friendly  phrase. 

The  signature  is  the  name  of  the  writer,  written  at 
the  end  of  the  letter. 

The  closing  phrase  is  a  polite  or  formal  phrase  placed 
before  the  signature. 


NOTES  TO   TEACHERS 

Note  A.  —  After  the  children  have  read  the  story,  let  them  tell  it 
as  they  remember  it. 

Let  some  one  begin  and  tell  a  little.  Then  let  others  take  it  up  in 
succession  so  that  several  shall  talk.  Finally  let  some  one  tell  the 
whole  story  ;  and  let  others  follow. 

The  story  should  be  told  over  and  over  by  the  children. 

The  stories  thus  told  should  be  reviewed  from  time  to  time. 

Encourage  the  children  to  discuss  the  story  and  the  characters. 
Then  let  them  select  their  characters  and  act  the  story,  one  being  the 
bean,  one  the  coal,  etc. 

They  should  also  illustrate  it  in  different  ways,  using  various  media 
of  expression,  as  clay,  paints,  scissors,  and  paper. 

The  various  things  constructed  may  often  profitably  be  assembled 
on  the  sand-table,  making  a  complete  picture  of  the  story.  This  is  a 
most  valuable  means  of  clarifying  impressions,  always  an  essential  to 
clear  expression.  The  making  utilizes  motor  activity.  The  assembling 
of  the  different  articles  on  the  sand-table  produces  unity  of  impression 
as  well  as  clearness.  The  children  should  always  describe  orally  and 
freely  both  the  individual  articles  made  and  the  composite  picture. 

This  is  suggested  as  suitable  treatment  for  the  earlier  lessons,  based 
on  stories  told  or  read. 

Note  B.  —  The  expressive  activities  should  not  be  deferred  to  the 
last,  but  should  be  employed  along  with  the  other  arts  of  expression. 
As  the  children  study  the  object,  they  should  put  their  new-found 
knowledge  and  their  ideas  not  only  into  words  but  into  tangible  form. 
This  clarifies  their  ideas  and  aids  the  expression  in  words. 

Note  C.  — The  use  of  guide  words  to  direct  the  telling  of  stories  is 
both  an  aid  to  the  memory  and  a  particularly  good  exercise  for  de- 
veloping a  vocabulary.  Before  the  lesson,  the  words  should  be  written 
on  the  blackboard,  where  the  children  can  refer  to  them  freely  and 
follow  them  with  the  eye  while  telling  the  story.  The  exercise  should 
be  only  an  occasional  one,  lest  freedom  be  destroyed. 

Only  a  few  of  the  words  should  be  written  on  the  board  at  a  time, 
and  these  should  be  changed  from  time  to  time.  This  will  prevent 
mechanical  and  uniform  phraseology. 


324  NOTES  TO  TEACHERS 

Note  D.  — The  accompanying  lessons  (pp.  70-81),  under  the  heading 
History  and  Geography,  are  intended  as  types  of  correlated  work,  the 
regular  school  topics  in  other  subjects  being  used  as  the  basis  for  lan- 
guage exercises. 

If  the  Dutch  discoveries  do  not  come  into  your  own  regular  work, 
it  may  be  better  to  select  a  topic  from  your  course  of  study,  instead  of 
this  one,  and  treat  it  in  a  similar  way. 

In  any  case,  as  local  history  and  geography  quite  commonly  are 
found  in  courses  of  study  for  the  third  grade,  it  would  be  well,  either 
in  addition  to  these  lessons  or  in  place  of  them,  in  like  manner  to  base 
much  language  work  upon  the  study  of  the  geography  and  early  history 
oi  your  own  state  and  its  most  important  city  or  cities. 

However,  the  story  of  the  founding  of  New  York,  the  largest  city 
of  our  country,  is  a  good  one  for  the  children,  even  if  it  does  not  fall 
within  the  local  course  of  study. 

A  list  of  topics  is  here  suggested.  Questions  are  given  for  three  ; 
others  may  be  developed  by  the  teacher.  Henry  Hudson  ;  Prepara- 
tion for  the  Voyage  ;  The  Half-Moon  ;  The  Voyage  ;  Discovery  of  the 
Hudson  River  ;  Settlement ;  Building  a  Fort ;  Buying  Manhattan 
Island  ;  Geography  of  New  York  Harbor  and  Hudson  River  ;  Life  in 
New  Amsterdam  ;  Troubles  with  the  Yankees  ;  Peter  Stuyvesant ;  Rip 
Van  Winkle  as  a  type  ;  Occupation,  dress,  social  customs,  education. 

Note  E.  — This  (pp.  148-160)  is  a  type  lesson  in  the  correlation  of 
literature  with  language  instruction. 

The  teacher  should  familiarize  himself  with  the  story  of  Beowulf, 
if  it  is  not  freshly  in  mind.  It  may  usually  be  obtained  from  public 
libraries.  Heroes  of  Myth,  an  inexpensive  book  published  by  Silver, 
Burdett  and  Company,  gives  the  story  adapted  for  children,  and  is 
sufficiently  full  for  the  needs  of  this  work.  U  no  fuller  edition  is  con- 
veniently accessible,  what  is  given  here  will  suffice  for  a  veiy  inter- 
esting series  of  lessons. 

'J'he  story  of  Beowulf  was  chosen  because  it  is  the  great  early  epic 
of  our  race,  and  is  full  of  interest  and  "  action.'' 

Other  classical  stories  may  profitably  be  developed  in  like  manner, 
such  as  the  Homeric  tales  and  the  stories  of  Bible  heroes. 

Method : 

The  class  will  read  the  portion  of  the  story  for  the  day  as  it  is  given 
in  the  book,  the  teacher  amplifying  and  explaining  as  needed  or  as 
he  may  desire.  Then  the  class  will  tell  the  story,  either  in  parts  in 
sequence,  or  each  one  telling  the  entire  story,  as  many  telling  it  as 


NOTES  TO  TEACHERS  325 

possible.  The  story  should  be  told  many  times,  until  all  the  pictures 
are  clear  to  every  child.  All  the  questions  asked  in  the  book  should 
be  answered  and  many  more. 

Then  as  many  of  the  class  as  can,  should  go  to  the  blackboard,  the 
remainder  taking  paper  and  pencil  at  their  seats.  All  should  write  the 
story  carefully,  using  in  their  proper  places  the  words  placed  by  the 
teacher  on  the  blackboard. 

When  the  writing  is  finished,  careful  criticism  should  follow,  taking 
note  of :  Accuracy,  fullness,  choice  of  words,  punctuation,  capitals, 
sentences,  paragraphs,  spelling,  neatness. 

The  corrected  story  should  be  carefully  copied  into  the  notebooks 
and  preserved  for  future  reference. 

Both  cooperative  and  independent  work  should  be  done. 

At  the  end,  each  child  should  wi'ite  the  whole  story  of  Beowulf. 
This  may  seem  a  difficult  task,  but  if  the  parts  have  been  carefully 
developed,  the  children  will  do  it  both  joyously  and  well. 

The  rules  for  the  mechanics  of  writing,  already  developed,  should 
be  repeatedly  referred  to,  so  that  the  children  may  see  their  importance 
in  making  plain  the  meaning. 

Searching  in  readers  for  illustrations  of  these  rules  makes  profitable 
exercises. 

"Guide  words, "  chosen  by  the  teacher,  may  profitably  be  written 
on  the  blackboard,  for  study  by  the  children,  before  each  lesson. 

It  is  a  good  exercise  to  make  plays  of  the  different  significant  scenes 
and  have  the  children  act  them,  using  suitable  costumes  and  stage 
properties  made  by  themselves.  The  children  should  make  their  own 
dialogues  for  the  plays. 

Note  F. — The  story  of  Beowulf's  last  days  is  here  briefly  told. 
The  teacher  may  amplify  it  at  his  pleasure. 

It  may  be  treated  as  one  lesson  or  divided  into  several,  the  teacher 
suggesting  questions  and  outlines  and  selecting  the  words  to  put  upon 
the  blackboard  as  a  guide  to  the  children. 

Note  G.  —  This  is  a  series  of  lessons  with  Geography  and  History 
for  their  theme,  based  on  the  study  of  the  life  and  voyage  of  Ferdinand 
Magellan,  the  greatest  of  the  world's  navigators.  If  this  does  not  tit 
the  local  course  of  study,  similar  lessons  may  be  prepared  on  some 
other  theme  in  history  and  geography. 

To  he  kept  always  in  mind.  —  Freedom  and  fluency  come  first ; 
accuracy  and  correct  forms  follow.  First,  stimulate  thought.  Second, 
encourage  full  expression.     Third,  apply  technical  standards. 


A   BRIEF   LIST   OF   BOOKS 

Teachers  may  find  these  books  helpful  in  developing  lessons  upon 
various  topics. 

Magellan 

Magellan,  Butter  worth. 

Magellan,  "  Heroes  of  History  "  Series,  Towle. 

John  Smith 

Makers  of  Virginia  History,  Chandler. 

Stories  of  the  Old  Dominion,  John  Esten  Cooke. 

Henry  Hudson 

First  Book  in  American  History,  pp.  42-49,  Eggleston. 

Stories  of  Our  Country,  pp.  24-29,  Johonnot. 

Young  Folks'  Book  of  American  Explorers,  pp.  281-307,  Higginson. 

History  of  the  United  States,  pp.  54-58,  Scudder. 

Children's  Stories  in  American  Plistory,  pp.  292-294,  Wright. 

The  Pilgrims 

Story  of  Our  Country,  pp.  57-63,  Monroe. 
Pilgrims  and  Puritans,  pp.  7-70,  Moore. 
Lee  &  Shephard's  Young  Folks'  Series,  No.  8. 
Stories  of  American  History,  pp.  18-25,  Dodge. 

Birds 

Birdcraft,  Mabel  Osgood  Wright. 
Citizen  Bird,  Mabel  Osgood  Wright. 
Birds  through  an  Opera  Glass,  Merriara. 
Frail  Children  of  the  Air,  Scudder. 
Everyday  Birds,  Bradford  'I'orrey. 
First  Book  of  Birds,  Olive  Thorne  Miller. 
Second  Book  of  Birds,  Olive  Thorne  Miller. 

QOA 


A  BRIEF  LIST  OF  BOOKS  327 

Grasshoppers  and  Crickets 

Life  Histories  of  American  Insects,  Clarence  Moores  "Weed. 
Insect  Life,  J.  H.  Comstock. 
Zoology,  Colton. 
Nature  Study,  Lange. 
Insects,  Howard. 

Seeds 

All  the  Year  Round  Botany,  Andrews. 

First  Principles  of  Agriculture,  Voorhees. 

Nature  Study,  Lange. 

Fanner's  Bulletin  (New  York  State),  No.  28. 

Two  Hundred  Weeds,  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture. 

Bulletins  Nos.  50  and  57,  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College. 

Wheat 

Commercial  Geography,  Adams. 

Nature  Study,  Lange. 

Agriculture  for  Beginners,  Burkett,  Stevens,  and  Hill. 

Cotton 

Farmer's  Bulletin  (New  York  State),  Nos.  36  and  48. 
Carpenter's  Geographical  Reader,  North  America. 
Commercial  Geography,  Adams. 
The  World's  Work,  January,  1906. 

Trees 

A  Year  among  the  Trees,  Flagg. 
Familiar  Trees  and  Their  Leaves,  Mathews. 
The  Common  Trees,  Stokes. 
The  Stories  of  the  Trees,  Dyson. 
Among  Green  Trees,  J.  Rogers. 

School  Gardens 

Children's  Gardens  (for  School  and  Home),  Louise  Kline  Miller. 
Nature  Study  and  Life,  pp.  121-228,  C.  F.  Hodge. 
How  to  make  School  Gardens,  Hemenway. 
Garden  Making,  Bailey. 


INDEX 


Abbey,  Henry,  109. 

Abbreviations,  84,  124, 

Action,  Words  expressing,  215,  252. 

Adjectives,  192,  226,  238,  240. 

Adverbs,  302,  304. 

Advertisements  and  Answers,  198. 

Alcott,  L.  M.,  140. 

Aldrich,  T.  B.,  87. 

Allegory,  An,  246. 

Andersen,  Hans  Christian.  56. 

Angling  Picture,  193. 

Apollo,  21,  192. 

Apostrophe,  with  contractions,  236. 

Apostrophe,  with  possessive,  58. 

Apple  Orchard,  The,  51. 

Arab  and  his  Camel,  The,  120. 

Arbor  Day,  108. 

Arbor-Day  Tree,  108. 

Arranging  sentences,  23,  51. 

Article,  The,  199. 

Aunt  Effie's  Rhymes,  27. 

Barber,  Picture  by,  24. 

Beach,  On  the,  219. 

Bee,  The  Honey,  314. 

Bell  Tolling,  The,  90. 

Beowulf,  148,  157. 

Bible,  Capitals  in  Writing,  74. 

Bible,  The,  252. 

Birdland,  Trades  in,  220. 

Bird's  Nest  ?  Who  stole  the,  36. 

Birds,  Stories  of,  178. 

Blake,  William,  45. 

Blum,  Picture  by,  135. 

Both  Puzzled,  282. 

Bread,    The    Story    of  a    Loaf    of, 

232. 
Bremen,  Von,  Picture  by,  218.  * 
Bryant,  W.  C,  143,  210. 
Bubble,  The,  103. 
Bugs,  Three,  132. 
Burns,  John,  317. 


Buret,  44. 

Business  Letters,  273. 

Candy  Fudge,  Recipe  for,  197. 
Capitals,  10,  16,  20,  45,  73,  195. 
Carlyle.  T.,  231,  288. 
Carpenter,  The,  18,  220. 
Carroll,    Lewis    (C.    L.    Dodgson), 

61,  163. 
Cary,  Alice,  315. 
Cary,  Phoebe,  132. 
Ceres,  213. 
Ceres   lost   her   Little    Girl,    How, 

215. 
Child,  L.  M.,  38. 
Christian  Name,  The,  59. 
Christmas,  75. 
Christmas,  Old,  76. 
Christmas  Stories  (Dickens),  272. 
Christmas  Tree,  The  Little,  180. 
Circus,  The,  32. 

City     Mouse     and     the    Country 
•  :        Mouse,  The,  4. 
City  Streets,  Things  seen  in,  65. 
Clark,  Luella,  80. 
Clytie,  20,  21. 
Coal,  262. 

Come,  Came,  Has  come,  53. 
Comma,  The,  137,  138-140. 
Conjunctions,  310. 
Contractions,  117,  236. 
Coolidge,  Susan,  182. 
Cooperative  Story,  68. 
Corn,  67. 
Cotton,  312. 
Cricket,  The,  122. 
Croquet,  292. 
Cro\^^,  The,  302. 

Danes,  The,  148. 
Dates,  59,  82. 
Day,  Story  of  a,  84. 


330 


INDEX 


Dayre,  Sidney,  105. 

Day's  History,  A,  218. 

Days  of  the  Week,  84,  88. 

Debate,  A,  286. 

Describe,  Words  that,  192,  302. 

Descriptions,  127,  188. 

Diary,  A,  185. 

Diary,  Keeping  a,  186. 

Dickens,    Charles,    228,    249,    250, 

269,  311. 
Dickens,  Studies  from,  269. 
Dictionary,   Use  of  the,  226,   229, 

289. 
Dodgson,    C.    L.    (Lewis   Carroll), 

61,  163. 
Dombey  and  Son,  Quotation  from, 

271. 
Don't  Crowd,  248. 
Down  to  Sleep,  167. 

Electricity,  Experiments  in,  282. 
Emerson,    Ralph    Waldo,    17,    71, 

243. 
Envelopes,  Addressing,  164. 
Excitement,  Picture  Lesson,  226. 
Exclamatory  Sentences,  80. 

Fables,  127. 

Fir  Tree,  To  a,  78. 

Fireman,  The,  316. 

Flag,  Salute  the,  113. 

Fox  and  the  Cat,  The,  124. 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  281,  284. 

Friend,  A  Sick,  175. 

Frog  and  the  Ox,  The,  41. 

Gambols  of  Children,  The  (picture 

by  Sims),  47. 
Gambols  of  Children,    The    (poem 

by  Darly),  45. 
Game,  A,  117. 
Gardens,  School,  295. 
Gardner,  Picture  by,  9. 
Gentleman,  A,  244. 
Gentleman,  What  is  a,  242. 
Given  Name,  The,  60. 
Gladness  of  Nature,  The,  209.. 
God,  Capitals  in  writing,  73. 
Golden  River,   Gluck'q   Search   for 

the.  289. 


Goldsmith,  Oliver,  188. 
Grasshoppers  and  Crickets,  122. 
Grendel,  151. 
Grendel's  Mother,  154. 
Grimm,  Fairy  Tales  by,  7. 
Grouping  Sentences,  51. 
Guessing   Games,    11,   25,   40,   49, 
117,  204. 

Half-Moon,  The,  96. 

Hare  and  the  Tortoise,  The,  29. 

Hawthorne,    Nathaniel,    238,    241, 

302. 
Heading  to  a  Letter,  The,  161. 
Hen,  The  Clucking,  26. 
Heort,  149. 
Hiawatha,  97. 
History  and  Geography,  95. 
Holland,  Life  of  the  Pilgrims  in,  170. 
Home  of  the  Vicar  of  Wakefield, 

188. 
Homes,  202. 

Hopkins,  Oceanus,  166,  170. 
Hopscotch,  16. 

How  the  Flag  was  Made,  114. 
Howitt,  Mary,  77. 
Hrothgar,  149. 
Hudson,  Henry,  95. 
Hyacinthus,  192. 
Hygelac,  150. 
Hyphen,  The,  120. 

/,  Capitals  in  writing,  73. 

I'll  Try,  116. 

Indenting  for  paragraph,  56. 

Initials,  59. 

"I  shine,"  says  the  Sun,  140. 

It  is.  Words  to  use  after,  40,  211. 

Jack,  10,  178. 

Jackson,  Helen  Hunt,  168. 

Kingsley,  Charles,  243. 

Landseer,  254,  255. 

Larch  and  the  Oak,  The,  288. 

LarCom,  Lucy,  82. 

Lee,  Robert  E.  ,  110. 

Letter,  A  (Lewis  Carroll),  61. 

Letter,  A  (Robert  E.  Lee),  110. 


INDEX 


331 


Letter,  A  (Sir  Walter  Scott),  163. 
Letter  Writing,   71,   75,    110,    162, 

207,  261,  299. 
Lie,  Lay,  Lain,  160. 
Lincoln,  Abraham,  60. 
Locksmith,  The  Merry,  226. 
Longfellow,  H.  W.,  74,  97-99,  178. 
Ludwick,  Christopher,  195. 

Magellan,  266. 

Marjorie's  Almanac,  86. 

Markham,  Edwin,  248. 

May,  God's  Miracle  of,  293. 

Mayflower,  The,  170. 

Member  of  the  Benevolent  So- 
ciety, A,  254-255. 

Memorizing,  73,  75,  81,  100,  115, 
116,  178,  248. 

Milkweed,  12. 

Miller,  Joaquin,  266. 

Miner,  The,  262. 

Mining,  261. 

Months,  The,  84. 

Morris,  G.  P.,  305. 

Mothers  and  their  Families,  Two,  8. 

Mourner  Comforted,  The,  179. 

Moving  Day,  287. 

Names,  Christian,  94. 

Names,  Given,  94. 

Names,  Proper,  94. 

Names,  Surname,  94. 

Names,  written  with  capitals,  45. 

Names  of  things,  27. 

Neal,  Picture  by,  173. 

Nero,  A  Story,  72. 

New  Year's  Day,  81. 

New  Year's  Song,  A,  81. 

Newsboy,  The,  170. 

Newspaper,  Advertisements,  198. 

Nickleby,  Nicholas,  Quotation  from, 
270,  311. 

Nicol,  Picture  by,  283. 

Notebook,  Instructions  for  mak- 
ing a,  17. 

Nouns,  123,  192,  238,  240. 

Nouns,  Common,  238,  240. 

Nouns,  Proper,  59,  218. 

O,  Capitals  in  writing,  73. 


On  the  Beach  (picture),  219. 
O'Neil  (picture),  91. 
Oriole,  The,  221. 
Outlines  for  Fables,  127. 
Ownership,  59. 

Parades,  32. 

Paragraph,  Review  of  the,  67,  95, 

97,  202,  310. 
Paragraph,  The,  56,  67. 
Period,    Ending   a   Statement,    10, 

16,  25. 
Personification,  104. 
Picture  Lessons,  3,  8,   23,  45,   90, 

135,    172,    175,    192,  202,   218, 

226,  254,  282,  297. 
Pictures  in  Verse,  73. 
Pictures   in   Words,   73,    141,    188, 

209,  293. 
Pilgrims,  The,  167-169. 
Pine  Tree  Legend,  The,  280. 
Plurals,  123,  127,  128. 
Plurals,  Possessive,  4,  36,  71,  74-75. 
Pocahontas,  146. 
Poems,  Study  of,  11,  45,  71,  73,  75, 

97,    102,    108,    115,    140,    180, 

293,  314. 
Poetry,  182. 

Possession,  How  to  show,  59,  190. 
Possessive  Form,  175,  207. 
Possessive  Plural,  206. 
Post,  The,  276. 
Powhatan,  145. 

Predicate  of  a  Sentence,  The,  259. 
Prepositions,  304,  308. 
Princess  and  the  Pea,  56. 
Pronouns,  257. 
Pronouns,  Personal,  257,  264. 
Proper  names,  59. 
Prose  and  Poetry,  180. 
Proverbs  and  Sayings,  10,  259. 
Psalm,  The  Twenty-third,  252. 
Punctuation,  116,  245. 
Puzzled,  Both  (picture),  282. 

Question  Marks,  41. 
Question  Sentences,  41. 
Quotation,  190. 

Quotation  Marks,  29,  32,  36,  140, 
190,  269,  288,  308. 


332 


INDEX 


Quotations,  Direct,  36,  191. 
Quotations,  Divided,  191,  288. 
Quotations,  Indirect,  269. 
Quotations       within       Quotations, 
304,  306. 

Rainbow,  The,  103. 

Rainbow  colors,  102. 

Red,  White  and  Blue,  The,  115. 

Review  Lessons,  32,  35,  49,  56,  65, 
67,  78,  89,  90,  94,  95,  102,  115, 
118,  148,  161,  169,  192,  195, 
202.  211,  218,  220,  224,  245, 
248,  250,  266,  310,  319. 

Rhymes,  36. 

Riis,  Jacob,  319. 

Robert  of  Lincoln,  141. 

Robin,  The,  115. 

Robin's  Nest,  53,  179. 

Ross,  Betsy,  114. 

Rossetti,  Christina,  4,  103. 

Ruskin,  John,  291. 

Salutation  in  a  Letter,  The,  63,  110. 

Sangster,  M.  E.,  54. 

Saxons,  The,  151. 

School  in  Germany,  A,  3. 

Scott,  Sir  Walter,  163. 

Scrooge  and  his  Clerk,  250. 

Seasons,  Names  of  the,  84-86. 

Seeds,  130. 

Sentence,   10,   12,   18,  32,  68,   102, 

217,  259. 
Sentences,  Commanding,  72. 
Sentences,  Exclamatory,  80. 
Sentences,  Subject  and  Predicate, 

217. 
Sentences  that  make  Statements,  25. 
Sentences  that  (juestion,  41. 
Shepherd  Boy  and  Wolf,  88. 
Sherman,  F.  D.,  294. 
Shine!  says  the  Sun,  140. 
Shower     in     the      Drawing-room, 

A,  135. 
Sidney,  Sir  Philip,  244. 
Signature    to    a    Letter,    The,    63, 

110,  112. 
Sims,  42. 
Singular  and  Plural,  27.,  104,  206, 

209. 


Smiles,  Samuel,  242. 

Smith,  John,  145. 

Soap  Bubbles,  Recipe  for,  103. 

Soldier,  A ,  becomes  the,  199. 

Song,  A  Temperance,  237. 

Song  without  Words,  47. 

Spool  of  Thread,  The  Story  of  a, 

312. 
Spring,  104;  107. 
Spring  Games,  206. 
Springtime  (poem),  104. 
St.  Bernard,  The,  223. 
Stevenson,  Robert  Louis,  74,   101. 
Stories  to  Tell,  280. 
Story,  A  Cooperative,  67. 
Straw,    the    Coal,    and  the    Bean, 

The,  6. 
Subject  of  a  Sentence,  The,  259. 
Sunflower,  The,  20. 
Sunshine,  A  Streak  of,  137. 
Swallow,  The,  221. 

Tennyson,  259. 

Thackeray,  242. 

Thanksgiving,  71,  169. 

There  is,  There  are,  234. 

There  was,  There  were,  234. 

Things  to  talk  or  write  about,  189. 

Thread,  A  Spool  of,  312. 

Titles,  124. 

To-day,  231. 

Tolling  the  Bell  (picture),  91. 

Trees,  108. 

Valentine,  Saint,  92. 
Valentine's  Day,  94. 
Verbs,  28,  30,  34,  50,  69.  199,  251. 

252.  257.  264. . 
Verbs,  Irregular,  4,  14.  19.  30.  34. 

39.  48.  54,  64.  79,  83,  101,  134. 

136,    147,    184,   222.   234.   286. 
Verse,  Pictures  in,  73. 
Von  Bremen,  219. 

Wakefield,  Vicar  of,  188. 
Washington.  George,  190. 
Watt.  James.  172. 
What  do  we  Plant,  109. 
Whip,  The  New  (picture),  23. 
Who  stole  the  Bird's  Nest  ?  36. 


INDEX 


333 


Wiglaf,  159. 

Wind,  The,  97. 

Winslow,  Anna  Green,  185. 

Wolf,  The  Shepherd  Boy  and  the, 

88. 
Woodman,  Spare  that  Tree,  304. 
Woodpecker,  The,  220. 
Word  Marks,  229,  245. 
Word  Marks,  Review  of,  249. 
Word  Picture,  238. 


Word  Search  in  Readers,  264. 
Word  Study,    121,    167,    180.    188. 

192,   213,  215,   218,   226,   238, 

240,  262,  288. 
Words,  Choice  of,  188,  213. 
Words  after /«  is,  211. 
W^ordsworth,  73. 

Yes  and  No,  190. 

Youth's  Companion,  The,  108. 


VB  36787 


Ml8?507  ^f 


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